Descent of the King of Knights
by kingalfredthegreat
Summary: The World is kinder and gentler ever since the Requiem. Also, the emperor finds his salvation. But when everything is threatened, heaven decides to intervene in an unexpected way...
1. Chapter 1

_**Descent of the King Of Knights**_

 _Prologue_

 _Greetings children, I am Metatron. I hold the title of being the Celestial history keeper. In short, I have to write the records of everything created so as aid the judgment of all. Humans are such fickle creatures, yet most of them are endearing. They manage to find joy even when there is sorrow. I am in a narration mood now, so let me tell you what happened to Lelouch vi Britannia, a human who intrigued even the highest angels in heaven…_

 _Just after the Requeim, Gate of Heaven_

"Hey Peter, we have a serious case here" said one of the angels to the Divine gatekeeper and one who judges a person`s final resting place. "What is it now? I have had my hands full these 3 months, can`t I slack a bit?" asked a thoroughly exhausted saint. Sometimes he wondered whether the lord gave him the title just to get back at him at his passion. Oh well, what was done was done.

"You have to see this soul. It doesn`t make sense."

As he made his way to the judgment hall, he saw a the lady holding the hands of a timid 10 year old boy. Peter however recognized the boy for none other than the demon emperor. He bowed his head low "greetings, my Queen, what brings you to see thy servant?"

"Now peter, don`t use those titles with me. I have come for you to give this soul a chance" she said as the boy hid behind her. Peter looked at him then back at her "Does the Lord know?"

"Yes, in fact he told me to do so."

"Then I am no one to refuse. You may leave him in my care."

"I would, but I promised him to remain by his side"

The old saint understood what his queen meant by that. Many souls were saved by her and no one refused her. Even though the other saints saw only pure evil, she would prove them wrong by showing them their beautiful souls. He just went forward and picked the boy who was now trembling.

"Now…Don`t be afraid, what is your name?"

"Lelouch" the boy croaked.

"Now then tell what you have done."

At this the boy stiffened "I… I wanted to make a kinder world for my sister and best friend. They had been robbed of all joys and happiness. So I went about to change the world. But…" he chocked at this "I… I killed so much and caused sorrow to so many for all that. My friends loved ones and millions of innocents were murdered or hurt deeply even though I tried to protect them." He was visibly sobbing "Ev…even when I had to act as the demon Emperor, it broke my heart each time I ordered genocide. I am so…so sor…sorry. I knew my existence was a mistake."

Peter just stroked his back comfortingly, calming the boy "Do you want to be forgiven?"

"No, I want to be punished for all my sins. I am beyond forgiveness and no one will grant it to me."

The good saint was surprised at this and smiled warmly. He understood why the lady brought him here. 'Great indeed is your wisdom, for you have not only saved a soul, but brought the world it`s righteous knight.'

"Okay then, I will send you to the purification chamber. The punishment will be hard for your sins. But you will be rewarded."

The boy looked up with surprise in his eyes. "But why am I being rewarded?" "Your intentions have given the world a chance to heal and grow. True, the actions are wrong but the heart was pure. Besides…" he continued while regarding the lady "the Queen of the universe has favored and forgiven you as well as God."

"Now then Lelouch, it is time to go." the lady said. She took the boy in her arms "It will be a long time till it gets over. But, I will wait for you here till you are done."

"Promise?"

" Promise."

The boy smiled and was about to run to peter when "You will not be alone in that chamber. I will send 2 brothers to assist you." As she said this, 2 boys in their late teens appeared in front of them. They indeed were the most handsome persons Lelouch had ever seen. One was a Brunette with deep blue eyes and the other a Raven haired, emerald eyed one. "Hey there Lelouch, my name is Gabriel." said the brunette, as he kneeled to the level of the child. It was the noirette however who picked him up "And I am Raphael, pleased to meet you." And the 3 boys started talking and walked away while bidding the lady and Peter goodbye.

"So what will be the punishment like?" asked Lelouch. The 2 boys looked at each other gravely "It depends from person to person" said Raphael "Each one of them is to burn away the sins and purify the heart. I once heard a man was devoured by his sins which took the form of a dragon and ano- Owww! What was that for?"

"Don`t you see you are frightening him, idiot?" replied Gabriel

Then the latter of them knelt down to the now quivering boy "Don`t worry, the trials will be hard, but we will support you"

"Yeah, just call out to us and we will be there to guide and look after you."

And they hugged the broken little soul as he felt genuine affection for the first time in his short, traumatic life.

"Do you think the boy will be able to become the Knight and survive the trials, mother?"

"I believe he needs a fair chance to feel affection. Hence I asked the other archangels to aid him in the purification and training. That boy will surpass all expectations."

All the good saint did was lower his head and said "Yes, I to know he will get through this. Also…he has 2 of the greatest archangels as brothers."

"Cherub souls are rare and the purest. They have all the memories of their lives but the mindset is that of a little child. Hence, they need to be looked after carefully. He will be saved and will save others."

As she turned to leave, she just mouthed the something to which the 3 boys heard and acknowledged.

"Take care, Lelouch… I will be waiting for you."

But the last part went unheard only to Lelouch

"…for the world needs to be truly saved."


	2. Chapter 2

_**DESCENT OF THE KING OF KNIGHTS**_

 _ **Chapter One:- LEGACY**_

 _A knight first duty is to protect everything in this Earth created by God. It is his duty to preserve its beauty and its virtues. He must also be the aid of the weak in their times of need especially widows and orphans_

 _\- Conduct of Knights, Rome, year 100 atb_

"Anya! Anya! God that girl…" said a part cyborg said as he tried to find his adopted daughter in his orange farm. His face bore the exasperation he felt at the moment. Seriously did her majesty had sent them summons and orders and the girl had the gall to disappear? He rummaged through the thicket near the boundary of the farm where she had made a hideout…

"There you are! And I was searching for you for the last 2 hours. Why do you make me worry so?" he said to the young teenager. He had taken her under his wing after the battle at Mt. Fuji. Having recovered all her memories, she was like any other normal girl. At her father`s rant she put her head down "Sorry, but it was a beautiful day and the outdoors were so inviting. I couldn`t…" at this she started to chock. All her life she was under the geass of the late empress .She had lost total control on her emotions. The slightest of correction or harsh talk would move her to tears. Jeremiah just sighed and felt guilty to put her in this situation "It`s alright, just don`t do it again. Besides, the empress has summoned us." "Nunnally has invited us?" she asked excitedly. She and Nunnally had become thick friends over the past years. Jerry just taped her on the head "Yes, but it is not all fun and games. She has asked us to consider the offer she had asked us to take. Also…" he lifted his head to the sky as the calm breeze brushed their faces. "We have to carry his final promise." She too turned her face to the sky breathing in the fresh air. "Has it really been 2 year?" She asked the elder "Yes, for the world to grow, an innocent had to be made the devil. Though is name is tainted, I am sure his highness is happy to see the world change for the better." " Indirectly, he is still looking after it." "How so, Anya?" she simply answered "who would believe that the greatest and most gentle ruler the world has ever seen was bought up single handedly by the so called _demon emperor?_ Even so, he was that kind of boy". They both smiled warmly at this. He, for her rare insights and she at the proud yet gentle boy she knew when she met him those many years ago at the palace. "Come along now, we must start packing. No time to space out now." He said as he took her hand in his as he led the young teenager indoors.

 _The world, 2020 atb._

 _It has been 2 years since the demon emperor`s death. The world was now stabilizing towards a better future. Suzaku as Zero stayed back in Britannia. Due to public outcry, he explained that it was to monitor the empire`s working and to see they kept good their promise of basic human rights. Further he said he would like to give a chance to the current empress and protect her as the people and regime were still loyal to the old philosophy. (Though it must be noted, Lelouch made him rehearse this part). Thus, after much explanation from the geassed Schnitzel and Cornelia renouncing her claim to the throne, Nunnally vi Britannia was sworn in as the 100_ _th_ _empress of the empire. All this occurred within a week of Zero Requiem._

 _Restructuring of the areas were done. As soon as they were economically independent, they were released. Thanks to the master plan named "Resurrection" (planned by Lelouch and Suzaku); all the areas except the motherland were set free. The Empress however became the titular head along with the actual head. All nations thus joined the UFN where the superpowers of EU, Chinese federation and Britannia formed the main economic force, but equitable resource sharing was maintained and countries were reined in by chairwoman Kaguya. The Japanese armed forces led by the black knights formed the main strike force. With the help of the UFN and the constant support of Nunnally, Democracy was the way forward. It was not perfect but the world was certainly become calmer and gentler._

 _Back in Britannia, The nobility system continued to remain abolished. The wealth of all the High nobles was by default reduced by three-fourth (a step taken when Lelouch was the emperor). This gave the provisional government led by some people leaders under the guidance of the Empress and Cornelia, more money to spend on infrastructure and other development. The biggest challenge was sensitizing people back to the equality principle. It wasn`t easy and discrimination was not entirely done with. But at least they were tolerated at even spoken and helped by the many genuine sympathizers. All in all the rocky road was not over, but it was smoothening out quite well. The government moved from the Arthurian system of naming to a more equitable system. The biggest news was the selective disclosure of geass. As instructed, Sayako released the doctored video of Lelouch geassing Euphemia. It was made in such a way that it put the entire blame on Lelouch. This way, Euphemia`s name was cleared and the White queen was untarnished once again._

 _The Knights of the Rounds were abolished and the Holy Paladins took their place. Members were given access to the most elite military squad for their skill and no rank was given to them. Each one was a companion to the other in battle not individuals. Current members (and to be considered) are Gino, Anya, Jeremiah Cornelia and Zero._

 _In Japan, the six houses of Kyoto backed Ohgi to the prime minister with the Sumeragi`s remaining the first family. The nation`s relations with Britannia and the federations were extremely healthy. The old cities were restored and ghettoes were redeveloped as part of the city. In fact, the country was becoming an example of unity in diversity. Stray incidents of racism still occurred, but they were isolated cases which were effectively dealt with. The elite strike force within the black knights was the Shikigamis. They too were founded by the same principles of the Holy Paladins. The members include Toudoh, Chiba and Kallen with Zero holding the battle code Kami._

Deep in the imperial garden was a small unmarked grave with a small but intricate headstone. It stood in the place where the Aries villa once was. The only words written on it was _"He who gaveth, but the world knowth not"._ Behind it was the statue of a young emperor who did not live. He is shown sitting on a simple chair while regarding everything with a small gracious smile. In this place, came a young girl in her teens on a ornate wheelchair and her masked knight. No one knew this place except the two of them for this was where Lelouch was buried. It was his second death anniversary. While the world rejoiced on this day, they spent it sorrow.

As she placed the white lilies and a red rose, Nunnally couldn`t help but burst into tears. She refused to be cured from her ailments as a 'punishment for hurting her big brother'. She was cared and loved by him so much. She wouldn`t deny it, she was the centre of his world and the cause for his descent into madness. Oh! Why did she wish for a gentler world? It just caused more chaos and madness. How could she be so careless to think her brother had abandoned her? All this and the guilt kept on building in her. Finally "Zero…I …I can`t stay here any longer. It is just too much. Could you accompany me to my room?"

"As you wish."

She was wheeled back to her chambers and set on the bed. As she saw the retreating figure of Zero, she broke down. To the world, she was a strong yet gentle empress. Inside, she was the weeping little girl of her late brother who only lived on the fact that he let Zero (whom she knew was Suzaku) protect and guide her.

Late at night, back at his grave, Zero came back. Removing the mask, the dearest friend, the closest confidant and equal to the late emperor, Suzaku was seen once more. "Hey Lelouch, I have come back. How are you anyway?" this was a weekly ritual for him. Today however he was there for a longer time. He would come and tell him about everything. His insecurities, failings, successes, state of affairs and about Nunnally. "You know, she is in this state because of you. Every night she cries for you to return. Now you even added Euphie`s murder and the SAZ incident to your name. it makes her feel even worse You are indeed horrible." There was a pause and later a chocked voice. "I…I`m sorry for everything I ever did and said to you. I know you would call me an idiot for dwelling in the past. But you're the biggest idiot. You caused us all so much pain with your death. Couldn`t you save the world without dying. I mean you could have ruled the…and… " He collapsed on his knees and continued "I know I sound childish, but please come back. I promise I will be the friend and brother you needed. I won`t backstab you. Just… come back. You are the man of miracles, not me. Just once more perform this miracle I ask of you." He remained like this for what seemed like an eternity. As the sun started to rise, he got up from the place he spent the night on and recomposed himself. "Anyway time to go now, duty calls. I have to look after Nunnally. Please look after me. See you soon" He gave him his trademark smile despite his sorrow and tears and left.

 _The reunion_

They all had just reunited with their Ashford friends and catching up with each other. Suddenly the fireworks set by Anya and Jerry lit up the sky, making it a marvelous backdrop for the newly built academy. Everyone just watched as they illuminated the sky with various colours all the while remembering a promise made by all of them and those not present. "You know Lelouch; I never said this at your grave. Thank you. Thank you for giving all of us a chance to heal and move forward." said the masked knight in his mind. All of them were content for the moment and the world was moving to normalcy. All he had to do was to defend it for his dearest person he still held close to his heart, who sacrificed so much. It was their common wish after all…

 _ **Hey there everyone. This is my pet project. It more or less adheres to the story`s timeline and is loosely a continuation of my first story .Also I love the bit where it involves a little bit of religion Hope you enjoy it. Please review about the writing style. Enjoy!**_


	3. Chapter 3

" _A knight` s horse is his companion in war and peace. It is an extention of his soul as like his weapons. Thus, he must have a horse of the finest breed he can find. Then look after it like a person and relative, for now it a part of the family. Remember, your soul and that of your horse are always one at all times."_

 _ **The handbook of Knights, of the year 200atb**_

 _ **Chapter 2**_

 _ **The Horses of the Knights: - relics of a bygone era**_

 _Camelot_

It was a typical day at Camelot. It was chaos and madness, perfectly orchestrated by the genuinely eccentric Lloyd and reined in by his sane, but no less a genius, Cecile. It was hardly befitting for the place, which held the highest reputation for research and science. Though, it shared the title with Izumo.

" _Okay_ men, it is time to test the Gareth. Please make sure not to damage them or-Owahh, what was that for?"

"What Lloyd was saying was to stay safe, isn`t that so?" said Cecile while sending him a particularly dark look.

"Yeah, whatever. Just send me data worth using" he shrugged it off and went to monitor the conditions for the simulation. As soon as the confused regiment of test pilots left for the frames, Cecile joined up with Lloyd. She went over the final checklist and cleared them for the trials.

"You know, Good devicers never come by these days."

"Lloyd, I believe we went over this before." She reprimanded him harshly. "But it is the truth, If only his majesty didn`t go through with his plan, we could have finished the-"

"Don`t you dare speak of him like that. I saw those boys go through more than enough. They went to hell and back for their dreams. At least be sensitive about what they did for world peace." They were among the only few who knew of Zero Requiem

"I know" slumped Lloyd "It`s just that I can`t help but think they would be unbeatable at this." While it was known that Suzaku was devicer par excellence, Lelouch was a designer and engineer who outdid Lloyd. In fact Lancelot Albion was completely redesigned by him to fit with Suzaku`s requirements. "You know Cecile" He said with a contemplative tone "This peace that was created feels like the calm before the storm. I hope I am wrong, but human are such…" he trailed off at that.

Cecile placed her hand on his shoulder and comforted the rarely emotional scientist "I know what you mean to say, but we must defend the peace. Now chin up and change the conditions. The simulation is still on. Besides, you have to meet with the chief of Izumo." Lloyd groaned at that and got up.

The Gareth is a modular frame which was also heavily redesigned. The main idea of having a modular chassis/skeleton was by Lelouch. This ensured a wider skill set from the same production line, reducing time and cost. The general appearance was sleeker than any previous knightmare and it resembled a medieval knight. The Yggdrasil drive was improved and made more energy efficient. Basic weaponry included 4 boosted slash harkens, an assault rifle, an MVS dagger and an MVS sword. Vario-landspinners made them more agile and it was very user friendly. Sync rates for its operation were low. They were still not on the level of the 8th gen frames but made 7th gen tech more usable than in the Vincent. Currently, some of the latest upgrades were being tested.

The _Holy Paladins_ had their frames made completely bespoke though invariably based on the modular architecture. Gino`s frame "Roland" had most of the functions of Tristan Divider. Only now, there was the addition a bespoke flight system which allowed him to reach mach5 and the twin swords made of a lighter but stronger alloy, akin to graphene. But the material had a higher oscillation tolerance than previous alloys. It also had a cape which could be used as a distraction, but in flight mode, covered the knightmare to aid aerodynamics. All this made the power consumption of the frame less than half of its predecessor.

Anya`s knightmare, "Oliver" featured a float system heavily based on energy wings. Her frame was based solely on heavy firepower. Weaponry included 4 the super VARIS with the pinpoint hadron shooters automated rifles and a blaze luminous. Baryon tech was still elusive for the Britanians though. As back up, she had a MVS long sword similar to Gino`s and the dagger like the Gareth. All in all, it is a power intensive frame but could be a game changer in war if handled well. Currently, it`s blaze luminous is being updated. Cornelia however settled for a heavily modified Gareth and Jeremiah used the Sutherland Sieg.

"Ugh… that`s enough testing for today. Please leave or else." Lloyd chased away the now apprehensive group. It must be noted though that this is his fourth batch of workers and engineers in 2 years. His reputation created urban legends among the schools of Britannia.

"You know, you should be nicer to them."

"Nah! They should be thankful I hire them. Besides let's analyze the data" he said with the enthusiasm of a child in a candy store.

"You do realize, the Izumo chief, Rakshata is coming to visit you for the final check list and maintenance at about 7.00pm"

"Who cares? She will never reach in time now. It is 6.15pm, so cancel it"

"Don`t speak so fast, my dear earl of pudding" came a musical, cultured Asian voice from the doorway. He cringed at the voice and turned to the women who seemed to love smoking more than life.

"You know, you should stop smoking, Begum of tobacco. Besides, how come you decided to grace us mere mortals at this early hour?"

She just shrugged of the insult. "Indian standard time. It allows us to arrive early or late, but never on time. Now keep your dry sense of humour to yourself. I have come to see how my son is. So hurry up we may need to cut the pudding route." Lloyd scowled darkly at that. He wanted to correct her that it was their joint project along with Cecile. But he gave that up a year ago after nearly being murdered over the said. "Follow me" was all that he mumbled. They walked down the corridor and unto the training ground which held a small hanger. As they neared it, the blond Indian spoke up "I hope that you have been looking after my son well"

"Yes indeed, we even installed the upgrades you asked." Cecile said as she stopped the near mad scientist from speaking.

"I trust you dear, but not that mad pudding man next to you"

"Whom are you calling pudding man you-"

"Now, now settle down kiddo. Open up the hanger now." She said as she smacked him on the head with the pipe. Lloyd just huffed and entered the code which sealed the contents of the hanger. As it they entered, they were greeted by the sight of a black and gold knightmare.

Knightmare frame Shinkiro L was a jointly remade after the Zero requiem by Lloyd, Rakshata and Cecile. It was also the brainchild of Lelouch, who wanted it done with no bar on budget and also the only 10th generation frame which was piloted by Suzaku. It had a solid graphene- silicon chassis and backbone allowing the greatest rigidity possible. Powering the frame was a fusion tempered- Yggdrasil drive giving 7 times the original output. The alloy panels for the body were even more bespoke metal mixture. The frame also had a cape, whose material was of a highly viscous non- Newtonian fluid solution which was almost a like cloth. Thus, when an attack hit it, the cape would harden to a strength proportional to the magnitude of the attack. But, it could hold of as such for a limited time period. Also it is used to aid aero dynamics along with its energy wings by sending an electric pulse through it. This alters the orientation of the molecules thus making the material solid. All this plus a discreet pressure manipulation device could make the gigantic frame fly up to Mach 8. Movement on land was done by the vario- landspinners similar to Lancelot Albion but displacing 3 times the power. This enabled land speeds in excess of 120mph Weaponry included 2 silicon-carbon-iron nanoparticle alloyed MVS katana, 1 long sword of same alloy, 8 boosted directional slash harkens, 2 super VARIS rifles which formed the pin point nose in flight and 4 cannons firing the ZERO beam, Hadron and Baryon beams in various modes.

The biggest news however was the intelligent druid system. Since, the older model needed a dedicated person to pilot and to execute commands, the newer one had the execution part removed completely. All decisions for tracking, surveying, shield setting etc. were done by the onboard 6th gen computers. This enabled that the devicer could concentrate on the task at hand. It was the most challenging thing to make the frame think. Although, manual override was possible. This was a huge blessing for Suzaku, who was not as mentally gifted as Lelouch. Till now, the systems accuracy was 100percent in decision making and logic operations. Also data input of the devicer`s fighting style could be loaded to accurately deliver power to given parts, launch of weapon etc. All this made Shinkiro a true beast among other Knightmare frames and worthy of its devicer.

"You have done a good job, pudding. I wouldn`t expect anything less from you"

"I that the compliment from the Begum of India?"

She once again smacked him on the head " No, but I might reconsider what I said"

"One of these days, I will have a concussion." Lloyd groaned.

"And the world would be a better place too." Added Rakshata cheekily.

Before Lloyd could make a comeback, Cecile intervened to diffuse the tension. "How is the Shinshi coming along ma`am? I heard Todhoh was getting a new frame."

"It`s coming along nicely dear. I would love to send some of the data to you for processing."

"I would be honored"

Seeing the dark face Lloyd was making she said to him "Don`t worry, pudding Todhoh frame, won`t beat our masterpiece, but it will make Albion grovel."

Lloyd saw murder and was after Rakshata who was surprisingly fast at sprinting while still puffing at the pipe. Cecile sighed in fond exasperation at her boss`s behavior and made a mental note to inform she said 'our' not 'her' masterpiece and proceeded to secure the hanger.

 _Shinshi_ are the Japanese equivalent to the Gareth. They however focused on close combat over long range. The concept of the frame however was simplicity. Rakshata designed them such that even a small time mechanic could fix it. Also the construction had some natural materials like strengthened bamboo in it. This ensured even lighter weight, ease in maintenance and use. Also, due to its concept, it was easy to make specialized frames on it. Weaponry included an MVS katana, 5 slash harkens, a low intensity radiation and a rifle. Todhoh frame "Susanoo" was inspired by the same concept only with added weaponry and input data to surpass its predecessor.

The ace in the pack however was still Kallen. Her ability to keep up with Suzaku had become a legend among the Japanese. In her honour, the black knights had Guren 8 elements to be rebuilt. It still had all the same weaponry and looks. That was because, all the changes were under the skin. Optimization of parts meant that speed increased and sync rates for operation were even higher, not that it was a problem. The biggest change were the land spinners. They adopted the same one that was on the Shinkiro L.

"Thank God that smoke factory has left. Now chop-chop everyone! We now disperse for the day" Lloyd proclaimed much to the workers who he had summoned in the middle of the maintenance check, relief.

"Have you updated Shinkiro L`s system command, Cecile?"

"Just finishing it up. Then we can have some dinner which I have prepared."

"What did you make?" Lloyd asked in a quiet, cautious voice.

"Sushi". That made Lloyd want to run away and hide in some closets.

 _Elsewhere in Izumo._

"Good evening, Rakshata .I take it your visit was pleasant?" Said a Kallen as she proceeded into the lab. "Yes dear, the fact I met Pud-"

"Lloyd" Kallen corrected.

"Yes that buffoon, my day was automatically made just seeing him."

"You know, you should stop messing with him."

"And lose my only competitor to sanity, I think I might as well give up smoking."

"Whatever" Kallen rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, simulation time. I can`t let my firstborn be attention deprived now can we?"

"Yes ma`am."

Kallen had grown into a mature person with a fiery passion which she held under control. Currently, she has graduated out of Ashford and is a full time member with the Black Knights. Her relation with the scientist was quite good as 'no one did justice to her child as she did' quote from Rakshata.

As simulation went on, on either side of the globe, the peace being held was less shaky than before. But it was shaky. It would be foolish to ban knightmares when they could be made mainstream for civilian use. Also, if a rogue nation were to declare war, other nations needed to have an answer to it. In war, knightmares were the weapon of choice. It was in these interests that Nunnally reluctantly allowed their operation in Britannia and by extension now, the world.

Fate and Time go on in a single direction. But who does fate obey or time wait for? That no one knows, not even Zero…

* * *

 _Hey guys! I hope you like this chapter. I know it` a bit technical but I couldn`t resist thanks to my background. This is where the knightmares make an entrance. What role they could play in the future along with the angels?_

 _Please read and review. Criticism of the constructive kind is welcome._

 _Enjoy_


	4. Chapter 4

_While the knights duty is to serve the lord, it is the lord`s duty to inspire confidence and build trust in the heart of his knight. The knight has left all his comforts and happiness of his home just to protect his master and uphold the name of his manor. Therefore, the lord must keep his knight as he would keep his kin._

 _Laws of the Nobility, year 546 a.t.b._

 _ **Chapter 3:- The Lords of the Knights**_

 _The day after the Zero Requiem_

All the heads of the former nobility, which numbered around 50, were gathered in Pendragon. More specifically, the palace of the former grand duke of Pendragon which was ironically around a 100 miles from the said city. They were all kidnapped in their sleep and brought over to the said palace. The elite 50 included former area viceroys, heads in the army and others. When they woke up, they were all told to wear their old aristocratic costumes and made to proceed to the banquet hall. They all had their reservations but chose not to voice them. As they entered into the grand hall, the maid servants and butlers told them to 'entertain' themselves until the master arrived.

"Who do you think could have done all this?"

"I do not know, my dear fellow. Why not go ask one of the butlers"

"And get murdered? They may all look tame, but their build suggest they are trained. Hell, I might say they are better than many former knights!" spat one of the generals.

As the current thread of conversations kept becoming louder and more heated, the sound of screams and a gunshot brought it all down to hushed, fear filled whispers and an eventual stop. As the congregation turned to the direction of the source, they were met with the former baron of Berlin in a pool of his blood and a butler standing next to his fallen corpse holding a 9mm glock 17 in his hand.

"Pardon us for the interruption, my lords. I am head butler Ashely Leblanc. It was as per the master`s instruction that you all would WAIT till he arrives. This includes necessary actions to restrain anyone. So please, abide by this and no one else will be hurt."

The voice betrayed the smile on the head butlers face. This was followed by the sealing of the doors and windows by the maids, clearing of the corpse and the presentation of alcohol to those assembled. The sudden change in atmosphere in less than 3 minutes, sent a chill down the spines of the 'powerful'. They were in no doubt now that the consequences of 'ill behavior' would be lethal and more torturous as the one they whispered. All they could do was take the drinks offered to them and huddle in groups awaiting their fate.

It was in this gloomy atmosphere that the doors once again reopened and the sound of crisp, staccato rhythm of footsteps filled the air. The Lords were now literally at the edge of their seats and not in a good way. "Excuse us, my dear lord`s for the delay. I trust you had a good time?" came a deep, cultured voice from the inside halls.

The voice was unmistakable to those assembled. His name was legend and feared among those gathered there due to his outstanding service to Emperor Charles, only for it to be tarnished and sullied by the Knight of Zero. And out of the great door way came Sir Bismarck Waldstein along with the remnants of the knights of the round flanked beside him. The uniform they wore was the same pristine white suit with a black laced with gild shirt under it. The capes they wore now, however was totally the colour they preferred with no patterns in it, thus completing the dramatic appearance of the group. They had that same air of dominance and confidence around them before the 'Great Knight' had vanquished them. If one didn`t know better, you could say they looked _stronger, more fierce yet more in control_.

"What`s the meaning of this, Bismarck. How did you survive the onslaught of the grim reaper?"

"Yeah we saw you beaten to pulp. Much like the rest of the rounds. Disgraceful, I say"

"Maybe they needed a little soul searching and time to lick their bruised egos. They _are_ our elite soldiers. Or perhaps they are like headless chicken before a _number."_

At that, the general was tackled unto the ground, hands caught in a vice like hold while allowing subtle pain to run through his body and held at gunpoint by Nonnette. "You should learn when to hold your tongue, General." came the icy reply

"Now... now Nonnette, we do not want to frighten our guest, do we? Bismarck leered as he walked up to the helpless man. He knelt down and lifted his chin up so that he was directly facing him. Nonnette, meanwhile pushed her elbows deeper into his spine.

"Besides it would seem that certain people should learn to respect their superiors irrespective of the circumstances."

"What do you want from us?" croaked the general in his anguish. Nonnette had a sadistic smile plastered on her face. Bismarck however remained impassive.

"Now we are talking." He said as he released the said man`s chin and strode over to the large long table which were furnished with ornate chairs. He sat in the one made to resemble a lion i.e. at the head of the table, told Nonnette to release her captive and gestured the nobility to sit down.

"I will start with a simple question, how many here want to be back in power?"

This was met with laughter in the room "You got to be joking. Is this why you called us here? We can never get our titles back after what the demon did. Despite all his handiwork, people still are pleased with what he did to us".

"Besides the _angel_ who will replace him will be in our way and as we know, she opposes the true system and favours the uncouth democratic system. After all like brother like sister."

Than Fredric Laurus, the Former Grand duke of Pendragon spoke "Don`t forget Bismarck, Schnitzel and Cornelia will supports Nunnally vi Britannia as the new empress. And if that was not enough, even Zero supports her openly"

"Who said we are working with them?" he asked simply.

"What are you trying to imply, Bismarck?" he asked cautiously.

Then, Bismarck stood up "As we know, the demon brought down our beloved empire, shredding through it`s core and left it to whither into nothingness. Thus, the pride of being the strongest and fittest people amongst the nations has vanished. Also, the system which rewards the most successful, that is, the nobility had been abolished and replaced by the equality principle. With this power was centralized and exercised at will. Due to this, we were and are well and truly, dogs to the numbers."

"Cut the chase, we are not here for poems. Tell us why you have us gathered here."

"Do we need to explain that to?" asked an irritated Dorathea.

"Calm down now everyone. As I was saying, our situation as that of the people were deplorable. But since the death of the demon, we just might be able to seize power again." He said while looking out of the window.

"It`s obvious what we must do for that. Since Britannia is unstable, we can have an attack and take over power." Said the head of the Land forces. "I second that. Besides, it would be more entertaining and will satisfy my blood lust." This was where Luciano voiced his opinion. Surprisingly everyone in the room was for it. Except for the grand duke and the other knights of the rounds.

"That is not your plan, is it?" asked the duke now sporting a small smile.

It was returned by Bismarck "You have read my mind, duke. No, but I intend to take over eventually. As you have rightly pointed out, the empire has a large power vaccum generated. Even though the empress has the backing of the main people, those under her will still be loyal to Charles`s ideals and the fear of the invincible demon has disappeared. Thus, we need to use this power gap, which they will cover up, to our advantage." He then turned towards them and continued. "This is where all my lords come in. Even though you all have been stripped from your titles, there are still those loyal to you. I intend that you put a front of supporting the new regime…"

"while behind it`s back, we prepare to damn it all the way to hell." Said one of the area generals.

"Exactly my point. Money won`t be an issue, I have some people who will take care of that…. Also, we need you to use the loyalty of the people who support you and mobilize them in similar fashion as that of the Black knights, albeit in a subtle way so as to not raise any suspicion among the numbers. The people are currently 'unified'. All we need to do is feed them with some 'truths'. This way, the people will see that peace is a mirage and will start finding faults in the system to come. Thus, we use their unity to put themselves on the edge. All we do later is give the masses a push and win them over to our side."

"What about Zero? He is sure to get wind of the news. As we know, his intelligence network runs extensively in the former areas." Spoke the Chief of the knight academy.

"Who said anything of going to area 11 or any other for that matter?" answered Dorathea. "We will base our operations here in this mansion. The work done in the areas will be a façade for what we intend to do. As we know, he doesn`t have any agents here in Britannia."

And so the discussion went back and forth, various topics were discussed related to logistics, manpower, technology espionage and future course of action.

"This is all well and good now my lords. Now is the time for voting who will be our leader." Said Bismarck.

"Wouldn`t you want to take that role?" asked a certain Arch duke.

"I am afraid I can`t my lord. Now that Emperor Charles is dead, we the knights of the round swear to obey whomever you choose to be the leader. Also, a knight needs to obey his lord."

After much debate among the ecstatic crowd, it was decided that Arch Duke Fredric Laurus would lead the "The League."

As it was decided, Bismarck got of his chair and allowed Fredric to take over as the 'Emperor'. The rounds bowed down before him and took the oath of obedience and service before him. Then all the respective members departed, leaving Fredric ask the retreating knights.

"How did you all survive?"

Monica turned and her left eye to started glowing red "How we survived, you will know in due time. For now, just do as the council has suggested, your highness."

Luciano answered him with his left eye going red "We have business to take care, so please excuse us."

 _Same day, back in the imperial palace, Tokyo._

The day was done and Lelouch was given and granted his final greatest wish, a chance to rebuild a peaceful world. The people were celebrating outside with grand fireworks displays, parties on the street and the destruction of everything that reminded them of the demon emperor. Unfortunately, that included everything he cherished. Even Ashford Academy was torn down, brick by brick, so that it could be built 'anew' as the people put it. All in all, they had won back their freedom and it was all thanks to the miracle man Zero.

As the people celebrated, the leaders of various rebel groups forged an alliance to set up a democratic system within the countries. Political analysis was done by all those around the world as to what the people wanted and who should lead them on. In Japan, a people`s parliament was being set up with the 6 houses forming the interim government along with the black knights lead by Ohgi. This coupled with Kaguya`s excellent oratory skills, calmed down the people and gave a sense of control.

But to the little sister who lost everything, the world had just turned into a cruel place. She just couldn`t believe her brother had done this all on a silly little promise she had forced him into. He had said in just that it would hurt to eat all those needles. Unfortunately little did she know, the countless needles had forged themselves into a sharp, bejeweled longsword that pierced his compassionate heart and that to, by his own free will. He had given her his blessing to live on the best she could …and in happiness. That was his primary concern and his dearest wish despite all his troubles. It was with regard to this and her desire to honour his wish, she had decided to face with her guardian…

…She asked for an audience with Zero, despite her fragile emotional condition.

"You summoned me, Empress?" said the robotic voice from the doorway. She visibly flinched at that. Being given the throne at a time of grieving isn`t the best of things. That of a broken nation was even worse. She wasn`t ready to face him so early, yet she summoned what little strength she had and spoke in a neutral voice.

"Zero, you said that you would support me in my endeavours to make the world a better place?"

"Of course, empress. You may be…" And he was about to start the speech that he was supposed to say (and prepared for despite his condition to) when he was interrupted

"Take of your mask." Was the simple command.

"… I am afraid I cannot do that." Came a slightly nervous reply.

"Afraid? AFRAID? Is this really Zero, who has supposed to save the world from the demon or a cheap imposter? You, who does not have the strength to face yourself, should not be leading the world towards the future we envisioned."

Suzaku stepped back at this short attack on him. Sure he expected hostility, but this was something else. For beneath all that, there was a longing to be comforted by someone as well as rage promising the purest tortures of hell.

"At least remove the mask, Suzaku" came her strained voice

"How did you …?"

"As I held Oni-sama`s hand, I don`t know how…but I saw his memories….each and every one of them…hence, I know."

Seeing that he was still hesitant, she came forward and tried to get of the wheelchair so as to kneel before him in humble submission, begging him to fulfill her request. She needed someone to hold onto. She wasn`t used to do things on her own. She desperately needed answers. Suzaku noticed this and quickly sprinted to her side.

"Nunnally… please. Don`t do this. It is already hard for me. Don`t make it any worse. Lelouch would kill me."

"But he is already dead." Came a monotone reply.

He looked into those beautiful eyes, 2 shades lighter than Lelouch`s, starting to become dark with despair. He needed to act fast, else she would be break from the inside even more. So he did what only he would do.

He removed his mask…

As the mask was removed, Nunnally saw his face for the first time. Curly brown hair, emerald expressive eyes and a handsome face, with soft features. All this however was dulled by the fact that he and her brother always moved as an inseparable pair. On hearing one of their voices, she knew the other was nearby. Despite their closeness….all her thoughts were in a disarray. Hence, the anger, sorrow and anguish she felt came out by a simple question.

"Why?"

"It was all-"

"I know that part Suzaku, but WHY did you agree to kill him?"

This was where he held her tight and broke down. All the emotions he held until now everything came out along with the grieving sister. He wanted to tell her so much. About how Lelouch suffered thinking about her every day in the palace, how each deed he did nearly drove to insanity, how he had cleared Euphemia`s name, the plan he made for the world to reach its golden age and how much they both loved her. About…how he forgave him. For now however, they were both comforted and consoled in each other's company. They remained huddled like this on the floor, only to be warmed by the rays of the rising sun. This morning would be the first of the new world. The Emperor had left his empire and would watch over his people, having given them a chance to change their lives. It was now up to the people to lead their lives in peace. It was here that the two not blood siblings promised to fulfill the wish of the Emperor.

As they walked out of the chambers, anyone who saw the girl said that saw had the determination and spirit of a warrior queen of old ready to take any challenge. She would no longer cry, but cherish her memories and move on. Backed by Zero, they would be unstoppable together….

…..or are they?

 _Present day, Tokyo._

It was customary that Nunnally would visit all the former areas once during the year to monitor the progress of recovery as well as the administrative health of these nations. This measure made her known as the gentle reformer and thus, won the trust of the masses back to the Britannian family. This however, kept her wheels purring all the yearlong and was wearing on her health. It was in these times that Zero, who saw the little girl struggling to keep a steady conversation after 12 meetings a day, would interrupt her engagements and take her to her chambers to rest. Today was one such day. She had landed in Tokyo and was greeted by Prime Minister Kaname Ohgi and his cabinet. This was followed by the usual procedure of talks along with the memorial zone of Nippon. Since, Euphemia`s name was cleared, the zone was to be redone as that to benefit the economically backward people in her honour. As soon as the particulars of the meeting were done, Nunnally had to meet with Chairperson Kaguya. This was done on a schedule of 6 months so as to keep track of the former empires working and affairs. Later, Britannia would be allowed to join the UFN.

It may be exhausting for her, but it was worth it. If anything she loved next to that of her family, it was helping others.

"You should have held the meeting later, Nunnally." Came the familiar 'human' voice that spoke to her. She turned about to see Suzaku take of his mask.

"I would have, but the parties necessary asked me to advance the meeting. As you know, we need a representative from our side to help in the zones administration. I have several names under consideration…"

Looking at the young girl, Suzaku felt pride for being part of her life and showed the impeccable upbringing of his dear friend. She was growing well, both in beauty and maturity. She held command of her country well despite her age. She truly was Lelouch`s sister in all respects. Except…in hand gestures while he spoke.

At that he couldn`t help but smile fondly at his childhood memories…

"Um….Suzaku?"

"What is it Nunnally?"

"I asked your opinion on something and you were spacing out. Are you feeling well?"

He mentally smacked himself for letting his concentration waver. "Sorry about that. What were you asking about?"

She just frowned at the reply. "No, you are exhausted and tired. Take some rest. I will tell Sayako to bring for you a proper meal. Honestly, you had such a wonderful appetite, what happened to it?"

"Hey, I eat a little less and I am okay, I don`t-"

Then his stomach rumbled. Suzaku scowled at himself, while Nunnally giggled.

"Guess your appetite is intact. Please Suzaku, I insist. It is for your good only."

It never ceased to amaze him how she could be compassionate to him in spite of everything that occurred over the last 4 years. Just how much was her capacity to care?

"… very well then. I shall do as you say."

He then had a mischievous smile on his face and moved towards her. Nunnally was ready for it.

"But only if…"

Before he completed the sentence, he swooped down and picked Nunnally from the wheelchair. Despite all these years, the gesture never stopped to cease her from giggling like a toddler. He would spin her in slow circles, all the while listening to her laughter and then place her in bed.

"Do you need me to tell Sayoko to get you something?"

"No, I had my dinner during the meeting. Don`t worry about me."

"Okay then, I will take my leave. If you need anything, just press the button."

"You are such a worrywart" she giggled.

He just smiled tenderly at that. Besides, he was her brother now in all but blood. Who could not want to protect and worry over her? He brushed the strands of her hair and planted a kiss on her forehead

"Good night, my princess."

He left the empress`s company, putting on his mask and made his way to his section of the chamber. It was there that he saw Sayako waiting with a tray of piping hot food placed on his study table.

"Good evening, Zero sama, I assume the day went well?"

"Well…. Not actually, I was stuck with the strategic details of security arrangements of the zone and logistics."

She executed on low bow and said "Then I shall take your leave. Enjoy the meal, Zero sama. Please look at the papers on your study. It contains the names of the representatives of the zone from the Britannian side. The empress wanted your view on the matter."

"Very well. I shall meet her along with Cornelia on this matter tomorrow. Thank you."

As the made left he flopped down on the sofa. How he missed being free to all the people he knew and valued. Alas, they were all dead. This was also a reason he hated leaving work.

He still couldn`t face himself in solitude….

It was like an overbearing burden on his soul as his conscience ( which he thought was dead) kept on telling him to face his actions and mistakes and not run away from them. It would continuously pester him. He would imagine all the people he killed accusing him for all the wrongs. It was in these despairing times that he truly cherished the time he spent with Nunnally alone. It was his only thread to keep his sanity. His only way to escape to happier times (except, it wasn`t so). The 'punishment' too was a way to keep going on.

He went wash clean his mind and body from their troubles by having a hot shower. Lately, he has been in a depressing mood, but he couldn`t allow that to come in the way of his work. He finished his shower and sat down to partake of his meal while he read through the list. It contained the profile of all the candidates.

One of the candidates was Fredric Laurus.

* * *

The next day, the Council of the People was held. It consisted of 10 members of the parliament, The Empress, Zero as the UFN representative, Schnitzel and Cornelia both who acted as guides. It was the highest decision making body along with the parliament and convened only on serious issues. Today`s issue of selecting a candidate for the zone was actually a non-issue….

….except, it wasn`t.

After 3 hours of brain storming they came down to 3 names

Fredric Laurus: - chief of internal affairs and bureaucracy

Karl Velstatis: - former royalty and sub commander of the Armed forces.( not the paladins.)

Hugo Cullum: - Director of the society of Sciences.

"Please tell us, adviser as to why we should vote for Fredric?" voiced the Prime minister.

"With all due respect, everyone knows what he did to Pendragon when he was Archduke. There is a reason he is 'the viper'." Spoke one of the representatives.

"Gentlemen, please calm down. While we cannot overlook that fact, we cannot ignore that he has an excellent track record now and is the most efficient chief who doesn`t come directly under our purview. " reasoned Schnitzel.

"Also, he is popular among the masses for the measures he has taken in his position to aid the empress`s goal." Added Cornelia.

"Still, I don`t like the feeling of him being in this. He just reeks something fishy."

"What do you say Zero?" the empress asked the masked knight.

"I see that everyone is wary if this man. But it would foolhardy not to consider him for the post for his achievements speak much louder than his past rumours. Therefore, I suggest we send 2 representatives to the zone?"

"Why two?" Asked Cornelia with her eyebrows raised.

"That way, we can keep an eye on him at all times. The second person may not be from this list but someone we can trust. Isn`t that right, Zero."

"It is, Empress. But the question is, who do we send?"

"Why not Schnitzel?" Cornelia suggested. "He is has a good reputation among us and will be better at keeping an eye out for trouble. Plus, he is trustworthy." Though she didn`t mention the basis of this 'trust'

"Also, he will be answerable to us." Supplied the prime minister.

"Although that would be a wonderful idea, it would send a wrong message to our allies. His reputation is still shaky there. " Zero asked in a cautious tone.

"I see your point, Zero." Cornelia conceded "Also, we would lose our greatest asset. The economic condition is still unsteady."

"How about the other candidates from the shortlist?" Schnitzel suggested. He brought out his tab and projected 10 profiles on the screen.

"Here we see are some candidates whom you all had removed. However, some of them are still worth the consideration along with the current two. Loyalty to her highness and my lord, Zero would be the main criteria for this. Also, he should have good relations with Fredric and have a mass appeal. "

"….you know, mass appeal is the least of our concerns, Brother."

"Sorry if that came out in the wrong manner. I was saying that the reputation of our second candidate must be spotless. This way, any negative vibes Fredric may create on arrival there is overshadowed by the confidence that the second person commands."

"I agree with the chief advisor your highness. It would be the most logical solution. May I even suggest sending one of the Paladins?" The prime minister chimed.

"No, nothing more gives the image of trying to take over than sending one of our elites." Cornelia then strode over to the screen and gestured towards 4 names on the screen.

"May I suggest these four, Nunnally? I can vouch for any of them as I have worked with them. They are extremely loyal to our cause."

Schnitzel brought down the list to 2 names citing he had 'trouble' with them, the council members too were wary of them. Hence the candidates were the following

Hugo Cullum: - director of the society of sciences.

Regan Jackson: - Director of the employment exchange and member of the court of worker`s rights

After still further deliberations, it was decided that Hugo Cullum would be going along with Fredric Laurus to represent Britannia. Hugo`s knowledge on science and worldwide fame for his unbiased views and works nudged him ahead of his counterpart.

"It is settled then. I shall pass the decree at around 6.00pm. Lunch has been prepared for you all. Thank you all for your hard work. It was nice meeting you all."

As she was retiring to her chamber, Nunnally couldn`t help but feel a bit apprehensive. Seeing this, Suzaku directed her towards the gardens. It was built during the refurbishment of the palace under Lelouch`s and Sayako`s guidance. It questioned the need for the elaborate garden then. Now, it was a private retreat for the two of them and among the only place other than his room where he could remove that mask. The gardens never ceased to calmed the young girl`s nerves.

"Suzaku?"

"Do you think Oni-sama would be happy at how things are going?"

He knelt in front of Nunnally and took her hands in his. ' _Just like before'_

"I am pretty sure, wherever he is, he is preening like a peacock and boasting to everyone what his little sister is doing."

She smacked his head lightly and he gave a mock hurt expression, earning a giggle from both.

"You speak to highly of me. I wonder if Oni-sama tells you to say such things in your dreams to me."

"Maybe he does. Not that we can help it."

"Suzaku!"

"Okay, I give up"

Then as they sat under a tree in silence there, Nunnally fell asleep with her head on Suzaku`s lap. Tears welling at the thought of good old days, he gently tapped her head and spoke to no one in particular.

"I know he would be so proud of you. It`s my only prayer that our common dream and his sacrifice is not in vain."

A particularly hard gust of wind hit his face

"Okay…Okay! I won`t be so melancholic anymore."

A gentle breeze blew forth playing with his longish hair and brushing Nunnally`s hair of her face.

' _that`s better.'_

 _At the league`s headquarters._

Fredric was in the ballroom celebrating his 'appointment' by the empress along with his subordinates. The atmosphere was one of joy and hope. At last, they could now put their plan in motion. As the merriment was going on, Bismarck entered and bowed before Fredric.

"I congratulate you, your majesty for the fulfillment of the phase 1 of our plan."

"Rise my knight, you give me too much credit for a paltry task. The Empress is a little naïve girl who believes in all. It doesn`t take much to fool her. Also, zero doesn`t seem to fit his legendary description. He seems a bit off…"

"I don`t see how that is a problem." Said Hugo as he joined the conversation.

"You are right, Hugo. Maybe we are overthinking these matters."

"If Zero is as oblivious as he is, we may be able to advance our schedule."

"I don`t see you complaining about that now, Hugo. How has the mobilization of the people going?"

"All things are going as they must. Almost the entire former knightmare pilots are in with us. It is the citizens who are difficult to recruit. They need concrete reason as to why they must bring down the current regime."

"If your majesties excuse my interruption but may I ask about the frames that are being developed?"

"There is nothing to worry Bismarck." Hugo said turning toward him. "Our scientist and engineers have gathered the necessary parts and have made….quite a robust army."

"Don`t worry, my knight. Even the custom frames for the Rounds are nearing completion."

"Of course. My apologies, your highness." As he said this, he took a cup of fine red wine from a butler nearby.

"Let us now raise a toast for the fruitful completion to seize our destiny. All hail Britannia!"

"Ever the dramatist. All Hail Britannia!"

"All hail Britannia"

"All hail Britannia"

As the chants filled the ecstatic crowd, Bismarck moved away with a knowing smile on his face.

 _As the arrow of time marches forward, it gets caught in the new written destiny to come. As a slumbering force awakens, the fools that it, will regret their actions. All the world can do is enjoy the illusion of peace for now…_

* * *

 _ **Hey there everyone. Sorry for the late update. It was just that I was having too many ideas to put down. Hope you like the story so far. I will try to update 2 chapters per month.**_

 _ **Hope you enjoy it!**_

 _ **Also….constructive criticism and reviews are welcome.**_


	5. Chapter 5

" _Behold, I send you forth like a sheep into a pit of serpents."_

 _-The Holy Bible, 4 a.t.b._

 _ **Chapter 4:-The power of the Lords**_

 _At the opening of the Zone_

"Greetings everyone, this is Milly Ashford reporting live from the grand opening ceremony of the Ebisu-Jude society."

"Hello there and welcome on this warm sunny day of April the 24th. I am Bob Cadillac, co-reporter to the broadcast of this grand event. We will covering this ceremony in detail for you our dear viewers."

"As we can see, the dignitaries are still arriving as we speak. The crowds have been pouring in since 3 in the morning and the atmosphere is just indescribable. Bob, could you give our viewers the background for leading up to this day?"

The reason for this however was that even the strong-hearted Milly couldn`t stand remembering the great massacre.

"With pleasure Milly. As you know, 3 years ago, the then sub-viceroy princess Euphemia li Britannia had announced a SAZ where the Japanese and Britanians could co-exist in harmony. It was a pretty revolutionary move, considering the empire`s earlier reputation. It is said she even renounced her title and claim to the throne. Her reasons to do this, however remain unknown."

Then Bob`s voice turned a somber as he continued "But we all know what happened next. The demon who was well versed in 'dark magic' it seems, forced a one on audience with the princess and 'geassed' or in lay man terms hypnotized the princess for a mass genocide of the people. As we know, his plan was successful thus leading to the worst known modern holocaust. The reason was so that he could reign in the mass public towards him and twist the will of the people. This was made known during his last days, as video leaks were being circulated." The last part came out in a bitter tone.

Milly seeing this quickly took over the telecast "Then we saw the miracle of the 'million zeroes' which was done by the current one who tried to lead the people away from the demon`s charisma as he rose among their ranks. Apparently, he couldn`t mitigate him and curtail him and was forced to exile during the power struggle only to return more triumphantly." Here, the last part cam a bit too cheerfully and forced.

"Anyway, this society-as it is being called-is being resurrected in honour of these incidents and in a special way to pay respect and thank the late princess Euphemia, for being a spark in the times of darkness. The society is supposed to be an independent undertaking of Japan and Britannia as a sign of friendship and good will."

"We now have our correspondent, Allen Feyman on the ground reporting for us. Allen could you give a sense of what is the atmosphere there?"

"Thanks Milly, as you can see thousands of people across all nationalities have gathered here and signed up for this historic moment which has taken sweat and literally, blood of many people to become a reality. Notice the date of its inauguration co-incides with that of the original one. This is being done to thank princess Euphemia, as Bob pointed out earlier.

Also, Notice the naming. It is combination of the Japanese god of luck and the Christian saint of hopeless cases. As we know from our sources, the zone will be allowing accommodation and basic facilities to the downtrodden of society without bias. Also, they will be given to do honest jobs and equality will be particularly enforced here.

"Whatever be the outcome of this 'society', we can be sure it will make a large impact on the global scene. Back to you, Milly."

"Thank you, Allen for bringing us up to speed with the events."

"As we speak, dignitaries from the UFN and Britannia are arriving. We shall take a short break and then continue with our live coverage."

As they went off air, Bob stretched out and gulped in some water. "Thanks Milly, you saved my back. I was about to breakdown back there."

"No problem, I have experience with such cases." She said with a small smile.

"Still, why did Advisor Schnitzel have to give us an outline for this event? It curtails the freedom of the press. There must be some foul play involved" He said in an irritated voice.

"Whatever, Bob. It is not like we our reporting anything contrary to the truth. He probably wanted the telecast to be perfect." Milly said with an air of optimism.

"You are right. It may be so-"

"Guys you all are on air in 30 seconds." Came the voice of an irritated Rivalz.

All they did was take a deep breath and go back to show their masks…

 _At the grand ceremonial hall._

As the dignitaries were assembling to the venue, Ohgi was backstage, doing all the co-ordination and overall management of the event as well as greeting and entertaining guest ( which he was failing miserably). All in all he had his hands full.

"Yuki, ask Kallen to review the security arrangements. Make sure the knightmares are positioned as per her and Tohdoh`s instruction along the route."

"Ohgi-sama, the sound system has developed a problem."

"Call for backup. On second thoughts, ask the technicians to look into it..."

In all this hustle bustle, Ohgi did not notice Kaguya entering the hall. In fact, he was so busy, she managed to sneak up behind him and grab his attention in her not so subtle way.

"Chairwoman Kaguya! I am so sorry for not being able to welcome you formerly." He said while bowing down low in apology.

"It`s okay prime minister. I can see your hands our full and it is not like I would get lost now would it?"

"Of…Of course not. You have been working here since the UFN was brought into existence. But still, it is a matter of code of conduct."

Kaguya grasped his hand and spoke to him while looking in his eyes.

"Ohgi, let not red tapes dictate the relationship of leaders. Besides, we are all comrades here. There is no need to be formal around me, understood."

"Yes ma`am."

"Good, now please excuse me. I will try to see how I can be a bit useful. You can take a breather of 10 minutes."

"But-"

"No buts. Besides, your son is feeling a bit neglected."

All he could do was just smile at that. There was no way you could argue with her. He took his leave and left her in charge…for a while. It was good that leaders were helping around like comrades. Besides, all the slack workers would be dealt with nicely with Kaguya around…

 _Out back on the main stage._

"Welcome back, dear viewers to the grand opening of the SAZ memorial society. I am Allen Feyman and we are reporting live from the ceremony held here in Tokyo. As we can see, all the main dignitaries of the Japanese government are here. The response and attendance for the event has overshadowed the previous attempts to revive the said project.

Now we see the Chairwomen of the UFN and member of the first family of japan, Kaguya Sumeragi making way through her escort….

….She is now being greeted by PM Kaname Ohgi and Gen. Kyoshiro Tohdoh, defense minister of Japan and chief advisor of the black knights-

And here comes the moment we are all waiting for. The black S –class Pullman has been spotted by are camera- There it has come into view. Ladies and gentleman, the rumors are true. Her Excellency, Nunnally vi Britannia and Zero have arrived and are accompanying the Britannian representatives today."

"Her Excellency is being helped out by Zero out of the car. She is now being greeted by all the dignitaries who also graciously greet zero."

 _Down Below at the Ceremony._

"Greetings, lady Nunnally. I trust you had a good trip?"

"Yes thanks for your concern prime minister. I see that your hard work has paid off."

"That`s ….that`s too much praise for me, your highness." Ohgi said nervously while projecting a confident stance.

"You are too modest for your own good Ohgi- san." Kaguya said cheerfully. "Perhaps I need to give you some more coaching on leadership qualities?"

Ohgi sweat dropped. "That… won`t be necessary, Lady Kaguya."

They all shared this little small talk until a polite cough was heard.

"Excuse me ladies Nunnally and Kaguya, but don`t you think we do this later on? We shouldn`t keep the crowds waiting."

Kaguya answered him enthusiastically "Of course, we should make haste in that case."

It was here that Tohdoh spoke up "Speaking of haste, where are the Representatives?"

"I don`t know but they said they would arrive before us, Tohdoh- Sama." Nunnally replied.

As if on cue, an envoy smaller than the empress`s but with more security made its way through the entrance route. At the heart of the convoy, were 2 Phantom lwb limos carrying the majestic presence of Fredric Laurus and Hugo Cullum. The manner of their arrival raised the eyebrows of the war veteran and even Zero. Kaguya and Nunnally may have decided not to visibly react to it. On a day like this, it was an unwritten rule that lower down officers and reps not to upstage head of countries. By this display, the 2 of them were showing defiance albeit in a subtle way. This was however, balanced out so to speak, by their simple attire they had both worn.

"Greetings your highness, lord zero and lady Kaguya. I hope we haven`t been to long?" Fredric enquired.

"No, But we were just commenting on the tardiness you two have displayed."

At this, Hugo bowed "I assure you, it was a matter of utmost urgency that kept us behind schedule. Rest assured, it won`t happen again."

"It`s good to hear. Also, I think I had made my stand on the manner my officials spend their wealth." She said pointedly while gesturing at their chariots.

"We deeply apologize for that, empress but these are some gift both have received from an old friend of ours who resides here in japan. He was …. Quite persuasive… for us to ride in them today."

"I see, I would love to meet this friend of yours." The empress said sweetly (?)

"Anytime your highness-"

Getting fed up with the mind games the two were playing (?), Zero interrupted them again "We must hurry to start the inauguration ceremony, your highness. The people have been waiting for a long time."

The small party made its way to the stage where they were greeted by other dignitaries from the UFN. They proceeded along with the crowds to the sacred lake Ohoyamatsumi, named after the kami of Mt. Fuji, to set a flower blossom in it to honour the dead. There was a 10 minute silence, followed by the prayers for the dead. During this time, the atmosphere was peppered with wailing and crying from among those in the congregation. After paying their respects to the dead, they all made their way in respectable silence back to the stadium for the ceremonies to continue.

It was here that Nunnally was asked to address the crowds. This was a strategic move made by the organizers and the UFN. Even though the empress had managed to change the external image of Britannia, their allies were still vary of it. In particular the Japanese populace. Having been subjugated to such a horrendous rule, it was but natural for them to feel uncomfortable. This was a make or break for moment for the young empress as well as a judge of her intentions by her fellow heads of state.

As the mike was handed over to her, she took a deep breath and….

"Konnichiwa nihonkokumin, it gives me great pleasure to be back to this wonderful country that has harbored and been my home for a greater part of my life. The sight of all the people irrespective of their nationality and any such labels, gathered here today as a united people is truly a sight to behold. This gathering, beyond doubt indeed shows how far we have come from the modern dark ages. You all here today also prove that we, **together** will grasp the future

We, however have assembled here for two purposes. One, for the inauguration of this zone which has been sabotaged time and again but yet lived on in essence. This place has been built to be a haven of hope and a symbol of our freedom from tyranny. In short, it was and is a spark of everyone`s dreams. However, while we move and grasp the new age of corporation, we must not forget the martyrs and sacrifices the people have made to give us this chance to make amends and be at peace.

Never forget the blood shed for this dream and this place to be a reality. It was in the age where children were forced to kill due to desperation or other circumstances. These people willingly gave their lives for their ideals. Though the power which ran free consumed them, they bravely went forward despite their solitude. But the costs were heavy and high. No one was immune to it. The most innocent were tainted by it and at the face of power. Even princess Euphemia…."

She faltered here only to come back strongly.

"Evil indeed is a terrible thing, and many succumbed to it. We honour all those people who fell for it, yet returned back and righted their wrongs. We must learn from the good princess, who tried to the very last to resist to evil till her death. Fight the good fight against all the injustices of the world.

Even in this constant crusade against darkness, cherish each and every moment of your lives and your loved ones. It is in these ideals, of hope co…co-operation….hope…an-and love that the zone has lived through.

I would love to conclude by begging you to forgive my family and me for all the atrocities we have committed to you. We had taken your homes, worked for slaves and treated you all as trash. I know it is difficult, but give me a chance…"

At this the empress finally broke down. She could no longer control her emotions. Zero came and ushered her back to her place while Fredric took over the stage to fill in.

"It is with this passion, we have come to work for progress and prosperity of all. It is our desire to fulfill the dream of this young women shared by countless others that we are here. As her highness has said, we know it will be difficult for you all to trust us. But we intend to win your hearts by our actions. Thus, I ask of you, not to judge us in haste.

Thank you."

Fredric was met with a roaring round of applause as he made his way back to his seat. Tohdoh was however suspicious of his promises. The subtle hints, the body language and the way he spoke showed total disagreement. Looks like he would have to speak to Zero in private about it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, before we open the doors of this society, we would like Lady Kaguya, chairwomen of the UFN and her highness Empress Nunnally vi Britannia to unveil the Statue of reconciliation."

The said duo made their way to a 20 feet tall veiled statue. The two then pressed the auto lift button together so as to unveil the said monument. What was revealed was the most unexpected thing ever leaving everyone stunned and for some, in not a good way.

There in the middle of the stone carved garden stood a statue of Euphemia wearing a kimono. She standing under a cherry blossom in full bloom while shown releasing a phoenix which takes flight towards it freedom. The monument was indeed a masterpiece for its beauty and rich symbolism.

' _For the gentle queen who taught the Japanese to dream in the face of hopelessness, whose beauty and innocence was tarnished by the evil demon who dared walk on the same soil as her_.' Read the plague at the bottom.

The two young women, turned to the crowd and proclaimed for all to hear.

"I, Kaguya Sumeragi."

"And I, Nunnally vi Britannia,"

"Together hereby declare that the gates of the Ebisu-Jude society are open to one and all." They said in a loud, clear voice which made the atmosphere electric and one full of joy. This made the girls smile and bask in this happy moment. The zone indeed would be a grand success.

 _Back at the news room._

"There you have it folks. The grand Ebisu- Jude society has been officially thrown open to the public. Our news analysts will later fill you all in with the implications of this event. For now this Milly Ashford."

"And Bob Cadillac signing off. Have a great evening folks."

They were put of air and the anchors were relaxing for their next telecast.

"Well, good work as usual Milly."

"You flatter me too much Bob. I hope you are coming for the boss`s little get to gather."

Bob stood up while dusting his coat.

"Sorry, I need to be with my family this evening. Rain check on the party?"

"Fine, you spoil sport."

Bob just chuckled and left.

"I don`t like that guy." Rivalz said with a bit of anger.

"Oh! Someone is jealous…?"

"Milly!" he exclaimed which ended with both of them laughing. As they left the studio hall, they started talking about the good old days.

"She has grown up into a fine girl." Rivalz commented in a sad tone all of a sudden.

"Yeah… she really has."

 _Meanwhile_ …

"Hello, Could you get me in touch with His highness Fredric? This is Squire Bob Cadillac…"

 _Back at the Imperial palace, Japan_

Zero had just put Nunnally in bed and set up the security around her room. He was certainly was proud of how she conducted herself today (He was having this train of thought a lot lately, like some old man) and was walking back with a smile gracing his face…

"Lord Zero!"

He turned around to see his former teacher. Despite all this time, he still needed to catch himself from bowing his head in respect to his sensei. Zero was now the superior here.

"Tohdoh, did you have some urgent business."

"Yes Zero, could we talk in private in the conference hall?"

Zero nodded his head in acknowledgment, proceeded to the said place and secured it down.

"Now what it is you wanted to talk about?"

"It is about Fredric and Hugo. The subtle messages they were hinting and projecting and what they spoke in what they believe in were of different wavelengths."

"I agree with you on that front. The intentions clearly show defiance, and most likely it is not a onetime act."

"If that is the case, don`t you think we should act? the society may be in danger-"

"Tohdoh, you know we may be reading too much into this. Just a flashy display may not lead to some disaster." Suzaku mostly said this to lighten his own fears.

Tohdoh`s eyes widened by just a fraction, but he later bowed down. "My apologies, Zero. I will take my leave now. Any further orders?" He couldn`t believe the meticulous miracle maker was belittling the matter

This reaction was noticed by Suzaku and unsettled him even further. The very thought of another disaster left a terrible gut feeling.

"Actually, just to be sure, create a small group to monitor everything the two of them do. They will only be answerable to you, Kallen and me. Understood?"

"Very well Zero, I shall see into it." He bowed once more and left the hall with a stone face.

As soon as he was alone, he hastily made way to his room. All the while, the images of the slaughter of people, of holding a dying Euphie in his hand… the day and corresponding events were too much for him to handle.

As soon as he entered his chambers and locked it down, he dumped the mask on the table, walked up to the armchair and tried to make himself comfortable in it. As soon as he found a relatively relaxed posture, he closed his eyes. In this this meditative state, he was distracted when his hands accidently brushed on a miniature replica of the statue of reconciliation.

Euphie….

No matter how many times it was said, these words described her best. Pure and innocent. She was indeed the incarnation of all good and beauty. Among the only people he knew who judged a person for what he/she is. Ever the optimist, she was a person to protect and be protected. Anyone she met was a receiver of her warm, happy smile. Her death was unfortunate, undeserving and unjustifiable.

At least she died in peace, would know her crimes were not her own and had her honour restored.

It was however, the black (white?) prince whose memories seemed to be haunting his mind more often these days. While Euphie was the sweetheart whom he loved only for less than 2 months, Lelouch was the constant he had known for years. If you didn`t know him better, these words described him. Proud, bitter and the epitome of what not to be. But to those who did know, the most wonderful person hid below it all. So wonderful, he took all the faults and himself. He was to be despised by all and died a lonely, ugly death. His name would never be redeemed and was to be spat on for generations to come.

The night was spent this way, remembering the lost friends and in self-loathing. it was however only to be broken once more, like all other such days when the wind wiped away his anguish and tears…

* * *

 _Ebisu- Jude Society, Mt Fuji._

Housing for the representatives was modest compared to what Fredric and Hugo were used to. It was a 3 room mansion with a medium size kitchen and a study in each bedroom. As they entered their new accommodations, Hugo flopped down on the sofa.

"Well, this is a decent start for the league`s new headquarters-"

"Decent?! This is downright hideous! Look at are rooms, the kitchen. Hell, they haven`t even provided us with maids."

He walked over to inspect the computers and related devices in the study and banged the table on inspection.

"Just look at the specs of this junk! The RAM rates at just 10 GB! Even the interface is antiquated-"

At this Hugo just pushed him aside and went over the system. "Geez, you won`t allow your servants to rest, your highness."

As Fredric was left spluttering, Hugo went over the systems and it`s OS as well as other such specs.

"Give me a day and I will give you a system which may rivalling that of Camelot." He said proudly.

"And how will you do that?"

"Easy, I connect all the processers along with the motherboards in combinations of series and parallel to may multiply it`s computing power. I estimate about 100-170 GB of RAM while the processors with this little signal generator enhancer, will be operating at around 90.8 GHz. After that… I will download and configure a new OS for our needs."

"Talk English Hugo! Will it have the necessary functions without compromise?"

"Trust me, I am the genius in this department. Let`s say, it will be easy to sync with research division-"

"English!"

Hugo cringed at that "Yes, the system will work without compromise."

"Good, now that wasn`t hard." Fredric then proceeded to sit down on the only armchair there. "I got a call from a squire. It seems he has done his half of the job. Bismarck said, he knows someone within the palace to do the other half"

Hugo hummed in agreement as he sank in the sofa once more. He took out his tablet and went through the progress of their army and their toys "Our little army are all getting ready into position. An estimated time frame of 6-8 months is necessary. Then we can initiate our weaponry and slowly establish our empire. We however must be wary of Zeus."

Fredric just crossed his legs and regarded the now serious scientist. "Now there, I told you Bismarck would take care of him. And since we are on the topic, could you update me on 'the toys'?"

A smirk graced the face of the scientist "Of course, you can read through it right now."

He passed the tablet to Fredric who read it with interest

Frames of the rounds- completed

Agravain –completed

Griffith- 80% progress

Kelpie-85% progress

Sakura bloom- research stage

Sun beam canon, Basilisk- production phase, 56%

Arcadia-completed.

"Wonderful, everything seems to be on schedule. But what`s taking so long for the Sakura bloom?" Fredric enquired.

"It is not easy to tame that thing. As you know, getting the right ratios has taken a year. Now we have to study and channelize it`s movement and reach."

Hearing this, Fredric sank back in his chair "And when that happens, our task will be a whole lot easier."

Hugo had a knowing smile on his face, "Ever the impatient one, your highness,"

"What can you say, I have been stifled by a pathetic excuse of a ruler and a masked unknown for too long. Did you hear that… that _speech._ No charisma and full of lies."

Knowing that a rant was about to begin, Hugo changed the topic "Hmm… maybe you would like to plan about the other things?"

Fredric glared at him for not lending him his ear, but decided that to go along with it. "Get the map of this… ridiculous piece of land." He grumbled

"Why do you need a map? I have a holographic view of the place." Hugo interjected cheekily.

Fredric groaned at that, "Technically, it is a map. Whatever, brief me about this ' _holy and hope filled'_ place."

Smirking at his handiworks, he synced the tab the projector (remember, they are in an ill- equipped room) giving the topology of the land "It is a 14 square miles of land surrounded…"

In all this, Fredric wished he gave some of this task to Bismarck. Still, being the Emperor is a lucrative prospect when it is laid just for you. All that he needed to do was wait and watch.

* * *

 _A week later._

Tohdoh had just assembled a reconnaissance team to look into the daily routine of the 2 errant representatives. The team consisted of 3 Britanians and 2 Japanese nationals. As soon as they were briefed and given orders, they were huddled into their control centre where they could track down their targets to the tee. Work began as soon as they entered.

It was late at night when the Japanese went out to take in some fresh air. One of the Britannian`s went out with them to 'share common interests'. No sooner they left than the two who remained behind fed the system with some other data and false records. This also allowed the planting of fake GPS positions and a whole lot of things. When the deed was done, a phone call was made.

"Squire to knight commander. The gift has been delivered and unpacked."

When their compatriots returned, they all shared a cup of sake, shared their stories, had a small talk and returned to their work. Indeed, the Japanese were so gullible to believe in them so easily. Now, wait till the fruits are ripe…

 _2 months later._

" _This is Bob Cadillac reporting live from the blast scene here in the Ebisu-Jude Society. Reports suggest that it was a low intensity blast and that the damages were at a minimum. No deaths have been reported. The Black knights are currently-"_

Fredric switched off the live feed and went over to the bar counter.

"Well Hugo, it seems are schedule we made over in Britannia is being followed rather diligently and squire there has informed the task was done with utmost efficiency."

With an elegant twirl he faced the hard at work scientist.

"Geez, and you say I am the worry wart. Unwind a bit, laddie. Now, what would you like to drink?"

Looking from the array of 2 monitors and related hardware, Hugo replied "Some whiskey if you please. And this is no time to slack of. The schedules are in disarray. The robins are taking too much development money…"

"Oh be quiet for once. Here take your drink. Now tell me what`s the problem?"

An exasperated reply me him as soon as he handed the drink to its owner "The robins, as I mentioned earlier are taking too much time and money. The necessary materials are difficult to manufacture and in battle, we will have losses of parts. This is due to the on use e-arrows which will be their main weapon. They are trying to make reusable versions of these arrows. But, as a consequence R&D has barely any people on Sakura Bloom and the other projects. Thus, the time table is being revised."

Fredric twirled his rum in the glass, observing the way light from the small chandelier reflected from the crystal and ice.

"Suspend the project." He said simply

"…excuse me?" Hugo asked in a shrill voice.

"Suspend the robins. We can manage with the old retro-fitted Liverpool. Besides Basilisk more than makes up for it. The priority is Sakura Bloom. Besides…" He looked at him directly in the eye "I am tired of waiting. Now, are my orders clear?" he slurred out

Hugo went down on his right knee with the right hand over his chest. "I understand, your highness. I will inform them right away."

"That`s my boy." Fredric said in a drunken amused voice having down 3 glasses. He stood up, petted Hugo on his head and proceeded to his chambers to retire.

As soon as he was out of sight, Hugo snapped out his cellphone.

"My lord, it would seem that Agamemnon is now coming to his hopeless senses."

He snapped shut his phone and redirected the material meant for the robin to the warehouse, via the official route. It was then he contacted his own, personal skunk works team to recover the said necessities and carry out their design.

 _The power has been unleashed and the sheep is indeed sent into a pit of vile snakes and beast. Who will lose themselves and who will retain it? Also, what is this 'it'?_

* * *

 **Hey there guys. I hope you all are enjoying the story so far. First of some clarifications**

 **-Robins were supposed to be an archer frame. But thinking realistically, giving so much advantage to the enemy isn`t fair. Also, where would you get unlimited minerals..?**

 **-I love cars. So you will to bear with my car selection. It has been well thought out with the world`s perspective on them taken into consideration.**

 **That` all for now**

 **Please read and review, constructive criticism is always welcome.**

 **Once again, Enjoy!**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 5:- Folly of the once-mighty Lords ( part 1)**_

 _At the Government Secretariat_

The atmosphere was electric. Sparks and thunderbolts were thrown around aplenty. The ministers were all blaming one another about the lapses that led to the blasts in the zone.

"What was the minister of internal security doing? Was he busy roosting around while the intell-"

"You take that back, as finance minister, you could have checked the finance transactions for your irregularities."

"How could I keep track of 100 million transactions that occur daily and decipher which one is irregular? Most of them wouldn`t be done over the counter you dimwit."

"What?! You dare insult me-"

"Gentlemen!? Calm down, have a cup of water and let us discuss the matter with cool minds." Commanded a rather irritated and fed up Ohgi. Power really made people forget about their morals, beliefs and priorities. Seriously, when would these people wake up and look beyond their noses?

There was a lull in the commotion due to their leader`s outburst, only to re- erupt more wildly than before. Just as Ohgi was about to become livid and lash out at them, the doors opened slid open, revealing Zero. As he walked in along with Tohdoh and Kallen the staccato footsteps broke the eerie calm which had settled down in the room. Indeed, it was the calm which heralded the massive typhoon which was to come and…. Wash them away. (Literally)

As Zero calmly made his way to the other end of the table along with his company, everyone stood up as a mark of respect for him and seated down themselves when he gestured them to. Tohdoh took his place on the table by Ohgi`s side. Kallen stood behind the black king.

"Gentleman" Zero said with an eerily calm voice "I will run down the events of today. At about 6.00 am today a delivery truck headed to the Ebisu- Jude society blew up just within the boundaries after security checks. While I agree that I am partly responsible for this negligence as the one responsible for security of the zone, I would like to ask what the cabinet was doing all this time?"

This was met by silence. At this Zero slammed his fist on the table bringing them back to the matter. "Is this what I supposed to expect? Nothing!? Ohgi has his hands full by going around strengthening our ties with our allies and at the same time working at the grassroots for a better economy. Tohdoh is standing by, waiting for Intel-which is supposed to be provided by you all-to be passed to him for action to be taken. I am busy monitoring the Britannian empire`s working, coordinating with the UFN. This leave you all to look after the other important matter and all we get are a bunch of overfed ducks?"

Every one of them flinched at this. Seeing this was leading to nowhere and himself taken aback at was he said, Zero calmed himself down a bit and continued

"Pardon me for the outburst, could you now tell me what went wrong?"

It was here that Ohgi spoke up "It`s alright Zero. Someone had to put this madhouse in order." at this he gave his compatriots a small glare. "We were just discussing the contents of the preliminary investigation report."

"What does it say?" Kallen asked

The minister of internal affairs spoke out while reading from the report summery. "As far as we know and according to Rakshata, the explosives composition is something new- or more of a next generation explosive- which has silicon oxide as its base, insulated in a ceramic core. The total size of this package would be 5cm*5cm and can be programmed to detonate for a given input. The input could be anything, such as a breathing pattern, specific humidity and what not."

"There is one more thing I forgot to mention, in the report." Came a voice in the doorway. All turned to see that the speaker was none other than Rakshata, who briskly made her way in. Her face was serious rather than her usual care-free self.

"Kallen, could you be kind enough to sync the systems here with the Izumo server? This is quite important. Also get the pointer."

"Yes ma`am" Kallen made her way to the server room just adjacent to the gathering. It took her 5 minutes to do the needful, in which time rumors started to spread among them.

"Is it really something bad?" Zero enquired.

"I wouldn`t be here otherwise. This can be a major break in our arsenal." She said in a voice soft enough for him to hear only.

"The systems are synced, ma`am. Is there anything else you need?"

"That will be all for now, dear." Then she turned on the projector which displayed the 3D model of the explosive.

"Gentlemen, as we have already seen, the bomb is indeed quite advanced in make and construction. Also, the composition built over the silicon base though bespoke can amazingly be made by a few items from a convenience store. Thus, this bomb can be made even by crude amateurs. Currently, my team are working on counter-measures and detection."

"However" and here she paused to let the suspense and worry increase "The explosive also can be programmed on the intensity of its explosion. In simple terms, it is like a hyper car capable of 380mph but is speed governed to only 155mph or less. In short, the explosion in the society was a firecracker to its true potential."

"What would be the damage if the blast was at its maximum?" Ohgi asked tentatively

"Three quarters of the society would be saying sayonara to the world. The bomb was limited to about 0.05% of its potential."

A stunned silence engulfed them all. Clearly, this was just a warning. If necessary, whoever was behind this could have literally leveled the society.

As the rest of the members digested this information, Tohdoh broke the silence. "Has any group claimed responsibility for this?"

"Apparently, from the police sources, there is an up and coming group called 'The League' who has a growing following in the suburbs. Chances are, they may be the ones behind this." The police chief replied.

"But would they have access to such tech? We are clearly dealing with something bigger than this." Kallen voiced out.

Zero stood up and declared to them "In any case, Ohgi I want you to calm and reassure the people and the UFN. The investigations will be taken over by the Black Knights and the culprits will be handed over to the government. The police can help with further investigations about this organization. Any questions?"

The temporary truce seemed to satisfy everyone, as Zero swept out of the room along with his entourage. As soon as he was out of the room he addressed Kallen and Tohdoh.

"Keep your eyes peeled on Fredric and Hugo. There may be some connection with them and this latest turn of events."

"We already have a team monitoring their movements and transactions. Do you want us to add to this?" Kallen asked

"Do what you must, I give you both a free hand in this matter."

As soon as he said this, he excused himself and made way to his car waiting for him. No sooner he entered it, he reclined his head in contemplation. It had only been 2 years and already signs of unrest were brewing. How could this underground activity have gone undetected? The Black Knights had the best intelligence network placed in Japan. This was leading to too many questions. All of this, though came down to one thing…

"I swear, Lelouch. I will protect this peace you laid down your life for. This is a promise by blood of Kururugi Suzaku."

* * *

 _Back in the cabinet conference hall_

As soon as the meeting was over, one of the ministers spoke to his comrades "Don`t you think Zero has lost sight of his priorities…?"

 _Back at the mansion, Ebisu-Jude Society._

The day was nearly done and Fredric had just finished some 'mundane' paperwork and 'advised' the security to prevent any further attacks. Just as he was exiting his Phantom, he noticed that Hugo was there waiting for him

"Well, this is surprise. Did you decide to take the role of Jeeves today?"

A small smile formed on the scientist face and he silently led his lord indoors.

"I would like to complement that phase 2 of the plan is going along smoothly. Also, I see that the security is now concentrated on the outskirts of the society."

As was becoming a tradition, Fredric made way to the bar counter and poured himself some rum. He did his ritual of holding it against the light and then downing it in one gulp

"Yeah. I would say these numbers are dumber than I thought. They totally believe that the attack was externally motivated. They don`t even give a bit of a challenge to our intellect."

He refilled his cup and muttered

"Predictable as always."

He downed the second glass to in an instant and hissed when it started to seize his brain.

"What is the status of our militia?"

Hugo made himself a cocktail and was savoring it.

"We have around a 1000 loyalist standing at the ready. Supplies and packages are nearing completion. All in all, we can end phase 2 and start with phase 3 soon. Since security as pointed out earlier is focused on the boundary, we can get away with a fair bit of movement."

"Also, the fake information of a terrorist cell lurking in the suburbs of Tokyo was a masterstroke. The elevens will be waiting for the threat outside while this edifice of theirs will fall to ruin in the inside."

 _Meanwhile back at observation centre._

"What have we got anything today, George?"

Said boy turned to the Japanese senior and smiled

"Nothing much, sir. All they seem to talk about are some of the affairs of the society and share a drink. That`s all."

As the senior saw into the monitor, he saw that Hugo was not present in the room. Fredric was having his drink while reading a book on Greek mythology with a glass in hand.

"Hmm, it`s seems that they don`t socialize much too. Have you got all their conversations recorded?"

The boy opened a side folder "Here are 72 hours' worth of conversations, sir."

The senior turned around as he about to make his way to his office "Make sure to send them to Tohdoh- Sama. He has ordered them to be on his desk by tomorrow morning for an audio examination."

"As you wish" and the door closed

No sooner the door was shut, George whipped out his phone,

"Knight George here. Will need more of the prerecorded scenes here. Seems like our comrades here like a good movie."

 _At the Mansion_

"Also, thanks to the successful infiltration of our knights, we won`t be detected. This is almost too easy." At that Fredric burst into a fit of laughter.

"Still, we should take care. As emperor, you are needed to lead from the front."

Fredric dismissed Hugo with a wave of his hand, which he graciously obliged. After he was dismissed, he made his way outdoors where he was to meet by Bob Cadillac 'unofficially'. The said person was already waiting for him and bowed down on hearing his approach.

"Rise Squire, I take it that the task was complete?"

"Yes, your highness. Also, I had to feed a bit of false information. Otherwise, they would catch them earlier."

Hugo rested his arm on the young man`s shoulder "It`s alright. Now tell me, what is are current strength?"

"Out of the 1000, we have 800 members."

"These are only are loyalist within the society, correct?"

Bob nodded his head in affirmation.

Hugo now had an evil smile on his face "Excellent, tell them to mobilize when Bismarck gives the signal."

"Yes, your highness."

"Good, you are now dismissed."

As Bob disappeared in the shadows, Hugo made his way back in. Indeed it was as Bismarck said, these former nobles were far too short sighted and unfortunately they were standing in the way of their goals. But…. Not for long.

* * *

 _3 months later, Japan_

Zero was back in Japan along with the empress to report to the UFN council. He was listening to the progress report of the empire the empress was presenting when he received an emergency message from Tohdoh demanding his presence. Excusing himself, he made way to the defense blocks of the complex.

"Tohdoh, what do we have?" he said as he entered the control room.

Tohdoh turned to face zero and filled him on the situation

"The police investigation in the league has lead us to believe that the Black Knights take over the case as well. As suspected, they are an organized-highly organized- group whose objectives and goals are unknown. But we can be certain that they are may be up to some mischief."

"And is this 'mischief' dangerous?"

"90% yes. In fact, there is a security alert that they may try something-"

Suddenly, all the alarms went off within the control room and there was code red displayed all around.

"What`s the situation?" Zero barked

"A breach into the administrative complex by 2-4 knightmares sir with more at stand by outside the perimeter. Also there is confirmed information that the council members are being held hostage" Said the man at the head of the security computers. Suzaku became numb on hearing this. This meant Nunnally is in danger.

' _No, the entire council along with the Empress is in_ danger' came a voice of reason.

Getting a grip of his emotions and remembering he was Zero, who was to protect everyone, he started issuing orders left, right and centre.

"Secure the inner boundaries, have the anti-knightmare guns deployed."

"But sir, we need authorization of-"

Zero lifted the man of his chair by the collar and said with an eerie voice

"I said, arm the guns."

"…As…as you wish, Zero-sama."

The man freed himself from Zero`s grip and went on to do his assignment. The members of the Black Knights in the building were to try and infiltrate the administrative block and free the hostages. Armed with basic weapons, this would be the easier of the 2 operations.

"Tohdoh, get the _Shikigami_ to ambush the knightmares stationed outside. Deploy Kallen first so that she can assess the situation first hand. You will take over command after that." Zero said as he sprinted towards the hanger. As he was about to open the hanger`s door, he turned around and addressed the man.

"Also, you are in charge of the guns."

Tohdoh understood his instructions and made way to _Susanoo_. As Suzaku unsealed the doors of his knightmare (which is transported along with him during his travels for emergencies.), he felt a wave of sadness come over him. He had sincerely wished that he would never have to use _Shinkiro L_ in any situation. But the world did not run on his whims and fancies. Taking a deep breath, he boarded the great knightmare and started up the systems, which was tailored for single person to operate. Finally, after going through the activation stage. (Which lasts for about 25 seconds), _Shinkiro L_ blasted out of the hanger at maximum thrust for the first time for a mission.

Suzaku steered towards the zone under attack and activated the druid scan system. There 4 knightmares in total which breached the boundaries all of which were scattered around. Analyzing the situation, he unsheathed his katanas.

"This is a warning to you all here. Stand down and surrender or face the consequences."

His declaration was met with laughter and the 4 frames came into view. From the looks of it, they were just the Vincent which had some upgrades. However, if there was something he had learned over his time at war it was

' _Never judge the book by it`s cover.'_

"So, it is the mighty Zero himself. It is indeed a privilege you decided to grace us with your presence." And the one of the Knightmares bowed in mock admiration.

"So you don`t intend to give up?" He asked one final time.

Removing his MVS longsword, the commander replied

"Wouldn`t even dream of it."

And then the duel of the commanders started and the other frames broke away. For all his bravado, he exhibited average swordsmanship. During the course of the duel, the he managed to create some distance between themselves. Taking advantage of this, he charged headfirst towards Zero, who dodged the foolish move rather easily. But, just when he thought he was clear, his opponent suddenly changed direction towards him and aimed his sword at the cockpit. Zero brought down the cape in time to take the impact.

"What sort of black magic is this?" Asked the horrified commander

"I told you that this fight is futile."

Suddenly, he felt his frame being overwhelmed and tipping over. On checking his auxiliary screens, he saw the two frames which had dispersed during his fight, were behind his current predicament. Cursing for his lapse in concentration, he tried to steady himself, but it was too late. Soon he toppled on to the ground and was securely held there by the said members. The third frame, came from it`s hiding spot and used it`s slash harken to wind down his legs.

"What were you saying, Zero? Resistance is futile?"

And walked his way rather than use his land spinners towards him. When he reached to where his captive was held, the commander lifted his sword vertically, the sharp end pointing to the cockpit ready to stab the black king.

"it`s a shame actually, I expected more of a fight. Oh well… just shows how weak you are."

Letting out a dark laugh, he brought down the sword with all his strength….

….Only for the druid system to build absolute defense shield. Miraculously, the sword broke on contact with it, giving a dramatic effect to the scene.

Suzaku mentally thanked his lucky stars and cursed himself once again for such lack in concentration. Clearly, 2 years of peace had made him tardy. He put on his most neutral voice while directing the core to work at maximum output. He had clearly underestimated them

"Like I said…"

The arms of the beast slowly lifted the frames which pinned him down while the boosted harkens took care of the other two stunned frames. Taking care of the first two, the remaining soldiers were swatted away by the boosted slash harkens. Then, using his katana, he cut through the wire binding him down and the black king stood up majestically.

"….resistance is futile."

At that moment the anti-knightmare guns fired, which was directed to destroy the 20 enemy knightmares guarding the breach. As they tried to get out of the trap set by the _Shikigami_ , metal and sulpher rained down on them. Due to the precision shooting mechanism they were not killed. Their frames were heavily damaged though, and they were now being huddled away into custody.

"You monster!?"

Saying this all the frame charged towards him. Spreading his energy, Suzaku took to the sky. This left the helpless commander and his minions to randomly shoot their slash harkens and assault rifles to bring the black beast down. All their efforts were for naught, as their attacks were either dodged (95%) or blocked (5%). Their desperation was evident with their even more frantic aim which started to damage the civilian area.

"I told you before and tell you again, it is useless. If you don`t surrender now, I will be forced to cut you down." Zero declared from where prevailed over them

"Tch, not bad Zero. You are indeed as formidable as your reputation suggests." Said their commander. It was here that Zero noticed something peculiar. Three of the knightmares formed themselves in a triangular formation. From their shoulders came out a cannon each which fused themselves into what seemed like a 3-barrel hyper cannon. The whole process took less than a minute and Zero was still in a daze at it.

"However, how will you face against Uranus!?" he let out a crazed laugh as he aimed it directly at zero and fired.

By the time Zero registered what was happening, the cannon had just fired. He had no time to dodge the impact. All he could do was take it head on…

… He survived the impact thanks to the onboard defense systems which still had power levels at 80% from the prior reading of 82%.

In short, _Shinkiro L_ had just swatted a fly which was aimed at it. Suzaku was silently grateful for this impressive show of strength. If there one thing he learned from Lelouch, it was that theatrics always had a lasting impact. This performance however, was unintentional.

"How….how are you still standing?" the commander spoke with fear and horror evident in his voice.

Zero chose not to answer his question and took _Shinkiro L_ to a higher altitude. As he was ascending, he made contact with the _Shikigami_.

"Tohdoh, have you dealt with the sentries?"

"Yes zero. We have managed to take 5 survivors. We are currently securing them."

"Once you are done, proceed to my location and form a perimeter around me."

"Very well." Came the short reply.

Having achieved the necessary height, he noticed, the cannon was being reloaded by the commander. Seeing his window open, Suzaku prepared the guided energy bullets.

"You fools! Load it up and shoot at 100% power output."

"But… Sir, that would lead to severe damage to u-"

"I don`t care! I want that blasted thing smoldering on the ground!" the commander screamed. The subordinates silently followed their orders.

"Now, Zero. Taste the strength of a knight commander." He said as he fired Uranus at full power. This lead to one knightmare exploding, killing it`s pilot.

At that moment energy bullets rained down on them, shattered and destroyed the shells of Uranus. The bullets proceeded to destroy all the limbs and land spinners of the remaining 3 frames. With this, the rebels had finally been neutralized.

As Shinkiro L descended on the ground, Kallen and Tohdoh herded the surviving pilots out of their frames. As Zero got out and proceeded towards them. As he was still some distance of, he met up with Kallen. They were about ti discuss the incident when loud, crazed laughter was heard from the commander which was interjected by a gibberish monologue.

"What is all this about, Kallen?"

"I don`t know what going on in his head. Tohdoh is trying to get anything useful from the commander, only to be met by that. The other 2 have been silent so far. But their face have an eerie calm to it."

As they reached where they held the rebels, Tohdoh twas still trying to force some information out of the man by holding him at gunpoint. But, it wasn`t leading to any results. On seeing Zero, he secured down the manic man and went on to brief him.

"He is a tough nut, Zero. If not quite deranged. Ever since he has surrendered, he has been acting like madman and talking utter nonsense."

Zero just nodded at that and moved to face his 'opponent'. Kallen and Tohdoh stayed close behind. As soon as he reached the commander, Tohdoh went behind the captured man and removed the gag covering his mouth. He gasped for breath before looking up with hate exuding from his expressions.

"My… my, the great Zero first honor's us with a battle royale. Now, he meets me in person. I`m indeed blessed today."

At this he spat at Zero`s feet. Immediately, Kallen forced him on the ground and had a gun trained on his head. Before she could go any further, she was stopped by her leader. He bent to his and directly addressed the man

"Who are you?"

"Knight Commander of 'The League' at your service, _eleven"_

The word which symbolized the rot and wither that tainted the bountiful Japanese landscape was spoken once more. It sent shivers down the spine of all present. In Kallen`s case, the gun was now just an hair length away from claiming it`s prize.

"The number system has been abolished, _Brit._ We are now equals. So cut the act."

"Oh! But you are so wrong." He sneered and turned ever so slightly to face her. "Currently, that pathetic empress has destroyed and deviated from the natural order of nature. You all are so below us. But no matter, as soon as we accomplish are goal of taking back the empire, everything will be to the way it is meant to be _, Cretin._ " And he started laughing again like a mad man.

Only now his face met the tarmac and was being chocked down by Zero. This act from their normally calm and stoic leader, took everyone by surprise.

"Is that why you had this little display and took the leaders as hostages? To back stab your way up to power? I must say you all lost quite a bit of honour."

Through the attempt of laughing and gasping in air, he lifted his head a little and whispered

"Who ever said we took hostages?"

That sent the crowd into what seemed the tenth shock of the day. Zero was however, rudely awoken from it when he heard a beeping sound from the man. This in turn, made his 'live' command to flicker into activation. Seeing a compact notepad sized object in the pocket, he realized it was the certain device which the organization was famous for using.

"No matter what you do, we will come back for you. After all

….

…the weak perish by the wayside, while the strong devour on them and move on"

"EVERYONE FALL BACK" he roared and lead his knights as far away as their legs could carry them.

Around a 100 meters later, they were swept away by the aftershocks of the explosion. Everything, from the prisoners to the nearby hangers, to the knightmares all were destroyed in the explosion. Unfortunately, even some of the guards were caught in the blast as they tried to force their comrades away from danger.

All that Zero could see, when he got up from where he was thrown was fire, twisted steel bars, and devastation. This sight led to many incoherent questions and thoughts into his mind.

He was pulled out of his morbid musings when Kallen reported to him that the other 15 rebels, whom they had cornered and captured outside the UFN-who were all suicide bombers- had also detonated themselves. All the black knights guarding them were killed along with the destruction of the neighboring civilian areas. In short, the entire area around them resembled the war zone they no longer wished to return.

In all of this, Zero remembered about one important factor.

' _Who said that there were hostages?'_

"What about the empress?" he asked with a sense of urgency.

"I… no one seems to know. It seems the team we dispatched to secure them never reached their location." She replied.

Zero cursed behind his mask and ran down the tarmac towards the assembly hall where the meeting was in progress. Kallen was shouting something, but he did not care. All that mattered now was

 _Nunnally._

He stormed through the entrance, noticing the guards were all dead. Also, rescue team dispatched to secure the leaders were among the guards. They were all neatly lined up along the corridor in a morbid display of (mock) honour. Pulling out his pistol Zero broke the hall door down and prepared himself to face a barrage of bullets. He was however met with surprised and horrified faces of the leaders. He froze in his place, trying to understand what was happening. One thing was for sure, the knight commander well and truly toyed with them.

"Zero, is anything the matter?" Nunnally asked as she broke the damning silence surrounding them.

* * *

 _Back at the mansion, Ebisu-Jude society_

Brisk footsteps were heard in the long corridors of the 'mausoleum of hope' which served as the administration centre of the society, as Hugo made his way to the now make shift throne room. He pushed open the doors leading to this mock setup at the centre of which was an elaborately large office table with Fredric citing behind it. On seeing his emperor, he went down on one knee rising only when he was commanded to.

"What is the status of the operation, Hugo?"

"Phase 3 and 4 have gone on smoothly. The UFN has been threatened and feel the need to take action. Meanwhile, the squires and knights have secured down the society with the help of the Vincent and other domestic knightmares. Unfortunately, a residential complex had to be brought down to make a point."

Fredric rested his face against his arm "Sacrifices are necessary, were there any Britannian casualties?"

"No, your majesty."

H then got up from his 'throne' with a smug expression on his face. "I think it is time we patch up with the empress."

 _UFN Headquarters_

As the corpses were removed, the leaders and other dignitaries were ushered out to safety. Nunnally and Kaguya remained back and came to terms with the situation with the help of Zero, who narrated the events as they had unfolded. Their discussion ceased when one of the black knights came running in to inform them the League was trying to contact them. Kaguya instructed him to beam the video call over to the auditorium.

"Greetings to you, Empress." Came the smug voice

"Fredric." She said simply.

"My, no kind words for the man who I trying to help you in a kinder and gentler world?"

"Is this how you go about trying to belittle council`s and the empress`s ideals?" Kaguya asked in her typical confident front on approach. There was no time to beat around the bush.

"Now, now. You must learn to take a joke, lady Kaguya. Of course I want a peaceful world, but….."

He then pointed to her

"…..without the likes of your kind or other numbers."

"What are you trying to say, Fredric?" Nunnally asked, still maintaining her calm

"I mean to say that I reject your excuses called 'policies' as well as the so called 'reforms' you have introduced. In fact, there is only one word which describes you the best….

… _WEAK._ "

"You dare insult the leader of your nation who only looks for your well-being?" Kaguya all but shouted.

Fredric now was literally sporting a smug face. "Yes. By the word ' _dare'_ is wrong to use in this situation. 'Declared' or 'decreed' would be more like it. Why, even my fellow League members agree with me."

This statement was met with by stunned silence. So, all his actions and 'deeds' were just a façade of his intentions. Just how much more hollow could humans get?

"You were always part of the league, weren`t you?" Zero growled.

"Oui, Monsieur Zero. I am among the founding members, as well as their leader. In fact even my 'supervisor', Hugo is a part of it. I must say, it was indeed easy to fool you, Lord Zero. Seems like the years of peace have worn you down. Here, I thought I would have more of a fight to outsmart your _keen insight._ "

They all gaped at this while Zero stood tall and proud, unfazed by the personal jib. Inside however, Suzaku couldn`t agree more. Why was he given this job? He was not a strategist nor a prodigy.

 _Let self-pity not wash over thyself._

That`s right. He couldn`t afford to doubt himself. He was given a job. He needed to be strong to handle this crisis and curb it of as bloodlessly as possible. Besides, the world was relying on him.

"People are grateful for attaining this peace. Why are you trying to destroy it?" Nunnally finally yelled at him.

"Shh…. It is unbecoming of the Empress to behave like that I front of her equals. As for the peace. I must say, true Britanians will only find peace after all the inferior races are subjugated and shown their place."

"You monster. Remember, we the UFN can stop you by mobilizing our army. It isn`t like you have a military arsenal." Kaguya gritted.

"Mobilize all you want. But are you willing to sacrifice around a million people?" he asked with more than a hint of amusement in his voice. Then, the camera panned over to show the entire society surrounded by the modified Vincents. Later, it shifted view to show the terrified population threatened at gunpoint and tool point by various domestic knightmares.

"You…you took the entire society hostage!?" Nunnally screeched. Beside her, Kaguya looked horrified.

"That`s right. It is little wonder why you tried time and again to resurrect this futile exercise. Ever heard of once bitten twice shy? You should learn that certain things are never meant to be, Empress. You know, even those elevens whom you kept to 'watch' over me were disposed of like dust." The camera was then seen to focus on the corpses lying in the control centre.

"Cut the chase, Fredric. What are your demands? You certainly have a reason for all this, don`t you?" Zero asked, trying to get the matter under control. Fredric indeed was going too far. Intimidating the world leaders was one of the strong points of the old empire and he was excelling on it.

His face still had a crooked smile when he looked towards him. "Now we are talking….NOT" and then burst into a fit of laughter.

Nunnally squeezed her fist on her armrest. Seeing the young Empress tense up, Suzaku put his hand on her shoulder comforting her. Kaguya did the same thing by taking her hand in her own.

When he recovered from his manic laughter, Fredric faced them once more. "Apologies…. It`s just that, you people have a sense of – humor."

"I must say your humor is sick, as we said nothing funny. So, you take the entire zone for no reason. Talk about headless chicken."

Fredric now rested his head against his arm "Oh, but you are so wrong, Chairwoman. I have actually come to make a declaration." He then stood up and whirled his cape in a dramatic air.

"I, Fredric Laurus. 1st emperor of the new Britannian Empire, reject Nunnally vi Britannia as my Empress…"

"Fredric stop right now." Zero gritted

"…further, I declare that this land I stand on will be the first of conquest in resurrection of the new world of strength."

"No, please… stop Fredric. I beg you." Nunnally cried. She couldn`t bear to see all the happiness, the hard work done, be destroyed so easily around her.

"….Lastly, as the leader of the League, I, my fellow knights and the squires declare war on the 100th Empress of the state of Britannia and the UFN. As a demonstration of my resolve…"

The camera was now broadcasting the video showing the largest residential complex of the society, with a capacity of 10,000.

"I shall begin my reign with the ethnic cleansing of this land."

No sooner he said this, the entire complex was razed down to the ground by a carpet bomb. There were no chances of survivors.

"No…"

"He… He really blew it of like…." Kaguya stammered.

"TOHDOH…"

As new orders were being issued, Nunnally couldn`t look away from the screen as tears welled in her eyes. Was her efforts and resolve really so weak that it manage to breed an enemy right under her nose?

Suzaku actually was crying underneath his mask as he gave orders. All the dreams, hopes and sacrifices dashed and destroyed by the selfish ambition of one man. The peace which was within grasp slipped between their fingers. Was it really that unattainable?

* * *

 _4 Hours later, border of the Ebisu-Jude Society._

The Black Knights had surrounded the perimeter of Society. The main route was blocked to prevent supplies from moving. Using the natural geography of the land, they hid themselves in strategic areas. Since all the knightmares were pulled into the zone, it was safe to assume that they were using the tower as a vantage point to view the perimeter from just behind the wall. However, they could not blow it up as the league held around 1000 people hostage in it.

As if that were not enough, the conversation between Fredric and the UFN was selectively leaked and morphed such that it appeared that the Empress was in connivance with the organization in question. This led to doubts on her credibility and calls to impose sanctions on Britannia. Luckily, Schnitzel was making inroads in this department, crushing doubts and explaining the situation in the best way he could.

On the field though, Zero and the Shikigami did not enjoy such good progress. Due to the above mentioned reasons, they could not have a frontal or sneak attack. The capabilities of the enemy were also unknown. Add to that the delicate method needed to handle the matter due to international pressure and the core team were at the end of their wits.

"Zero-sama, couldn`t you activate _Shinkiro L`s_ druid system to pinpoint our targets behind the wall?" Kallen suddenly suggested during their strategic meeting.

Zero just shook his head "I have already tried doing that, but it did not work. On further investigation, Rakshata told me that there was some counter signal barrier field consisting of around some frequencies band width…"

"Umm… is there any counter measures to take this 'shield' down?" Chiba asked tentatively.

"She said she would contact us as soon as possible on that regard. Let`s put our heads together in this. Could any of you summarize all that we know?"

Tohdoh took over from there. "The Zone as we know, is of roughly 14 square miles. Since it is located in the plains, the prior attempts had led to the construction of some fortification, which the builders did not deem important enough to demolish. As of now, there is the outer walls 10 feet high around the perimeter where we suspect the enemy knightmare are guarding from the interior and the inner walls where the hostages and tower is located. We still don`t know the situation in the main city. Unfortunately, we cannot even analyze the current population distribution due to no census being taken."

Suddenly, a transmission from Izumo was flashed on to the main monitor on priority basis. Tuning in, the Black knights were met by the tobacco puffing scientist.

"Rakshata, what is the reason that for Shinkiro L not being able to detect the enemy?" Chiba asked urgently.

"Calm down Chiba. There is nothing you can do even if you know the reason." Taking a puff of her pipe (while ignoring the protest.) she continued "The enemy has created a broadcast shield around the society."

"Care to elaborate?" Zero asked

"They have created a signal generator which interferes with our friendly satellites. Due to this, these satellites are beam down a continuous spectrum of garbage data and random signals in no particular order. The total bandwidth of this spectrum is estimated to around 100Thz. Due to this, the signal produced by the druid system cannot penetrate through as something will eventually corrupt the signal. The only way we can gain information is destroying the signal generator or have someone sneak in and use radio waves to broadcast from within."

"…. Right. Thanks for your help, Rakshata."

With that the screen went blank, like the minds of the Shikigami right now.

"Kallen, estimating the supplies inside the society, how long can they survive isolation?" Zero asked with a smidge bit of hope.

She just slumped her shoulders "At least one year. That is, if they don't use the inhabitants as slaves to work in the fields and that the lake source miraculously dries up."

Silence once again descended over them. Whenever there seemed to be a door open, something would come and slam it shut in their faces.

"There is no other choice, Zero. We will have to send a scout to judge their strength." Tohdoh said finally.

"…sir, don`t you think it is risky and a tad… cliché?" Chiba quipped.

"There is no other way to infiltrate without endangering the people in there. Also, they will at least use heavy firepower to intimidate us. That way, we can try and work a strategy around the use of their firepower." Tohdoh addressed the members with a tone of finality.

He then turned to Zero. "Zero, I know it is risky and may even backfire. But we must at least try something."

After a long while "….very well. Since we are at a deadlock, we might as well use do it. But tell me, who will pilot the scouts Shinshi?"

Kallen turned towards him with a small smile "There is no need for anyone to go. During its development, Rakshata had made two drone prototypes for experimental purposes. It could be controlled from the barracks on a simulator console. From what I know, we already have them in our engineering squad."

Zero stood up a bit to eagerly at this. "How long will it take to get them up and running?"

"20 minutes."

"Get the drone ready and inform me. Choose two trusted pilots for the operation or you and Todhoh take over. I will try and assess the situation on the ground." He then swept out of the room.

 _30 minutes later, Black Knight base._

Zero made his way to the engineering squad where he had just got news that the Shinshi were ready for deployment. As soon as he entered, he saw Kallen and Todhoh in their pilot suits making final corrections with the squad members. Seeing him enter, everyone stopped what they were doing and bowed down to greet him.

'Must they always do this?'

"Are we on schedule?" zero asked his pilots.

"Yes sir, there are a few adjustments to be made. It will be done in a couple of minutes." Kallen replied.

"Excellent. For this mission, Tohdoh will be in charge. Am I clear?"

"Yes Zero-sama." Came the unified response.

At this, the pilots made their way to the modified simulators and prepped themselves for the starting sequence. Zero and the rest of the crew would monitor their progress using the holographic map and screens to view the footage picked up by the fact spheres.

"Energy levels of the core are normal."

"Communication systems in place…"

"Establishing the sync sequence in 20 seconds."

"Yggdrasil drive performing within expected limits."

"Pilots, you are ready to launch."

As soon as this was said, the 2 pilotless Shinshi left the base and made their way towards the society. Turning on their fact spheres, they started out their mission by circling the perimeter, to check for any counter measure systems or hidden traps.

"Tohdoh- san, there seems to be nothing here."

"Never let your guard down, it may be staring at this in the face and we just cannot see it."

Suddenly, the sweep system in the base had detected a potential threat and relayed it to the pilots.

"20-30 missiles are descending on us from the stratosphere and are locked on are position. No confirmation from where they launched"

"Just try and survive what is to come." Todhoh ordered

Immediately, they were met by a hailstorm which not only targeted them but even managed to predict their next position they would take. "This… This is quite intense." Kallen said, trembling in excitement as she weaved her way in the storm of missiles continued to attack their position. This continued for around ten minutes when there was a sudden ceasefire. The pilots ran through their status checks. The knightmares health was at 50% while had power for a only one hour

No sooner the bombardment was over, a droning sound could be heard over from the other side. Before they knew what was going on, 3 drones flew out from within and soared in to the sky to attain some altitude.

"Is this part of the welcome committee?" Kallen spat.

"I don`t feel very welcome." Tohdoh completed for her.

The fact sphere caught a visual of something diving down at them. Not long after that, the drones were in sight and started firing at them, resuming their dance of survival. The plumes of dust, thrown in the air which is viscously pushed down by the enemy added to the demented drama.

"Take cover in the forest." Tohdoh ordered. The forest undergrowth was thick and quite tricky to navigate through. This would allow them to buy time for a strategy. The knightmares had to return so that the damage could be examined.

But it was to no avail, even within the confined space, they were still being followed as the drones dodged each and every obstacle in their way. The pilots however, braving all the odds managed to take cover at the cliff. The drones, unable to follow them any further, circled around them and regularly fired at random spots.

"What is your status, Kallen?"

"Enough power for 15-20 minutes, but my shields may not last that long."

"Okay, do as I tell you…"

As the drones kept circling the target area, they picked up a solitary frame making haste through the foliage. As they followed it, they failed to pick up another one trailing from behind by a good distance and branched off later. They were firing incessantly while Kallen dodged most of them with speed and grace. She was still taking some minor damage though.

"Is that all you got, tin cans?" she shouted over the comm. Not that the poor automations could understand the insult.

She led them back into the open grounds where she continued to dodge their attacks which switched to air-to-land missiles. As they started to close on her, a pair of slash harkens from their right, shot out and destroyed two of the drone. On turning back, Kallen saw Tohdoh had caught up with them and was in the air with the katana in his hand. Thanks to his flawless timing, he landed right on it and the image of a horse and its rider suddenly entered her mind. He made his way to the AI head and destroyed it with his katana. The poor bird made its descent to terra ferma with its vanquisher riding on it` s back and came to a screeching halt in front of Kallen, the last registered enemy in it`s destroyed AI system

"And they say I`m reckless."

Tohdoh did not say anything as he dismounted from his ride.

"I think that is enough, let us pilot these things back." He said simply.

As they turned back however, they failed to notice a cannon ready to fire up. When it fired, it destroyed everything in its path, be it knightmare or forest. Nothing was sparred. On its deactivation, all that was left was a massive trench as a proof of its power.

The impact registered by the frames were so violent that the on board sync equipment sent out a large signal which triggered the simulators to catch fire due to amplification overload. Chaos descended as various technicians ran around to douse the flame and remove the pilots to safety. Fortunately, they were only knocked unconscious when rescued and were immediately transported to the medical bay for treatment. Zero went about trying to bring order in the area. One thought ran through his mind

 _How were they going to bring down this monster?_

 _Around the same time, within the walls._

A young blonde man seemingly 'oblivious' to the situation was walking down the street with a back-pack slung on his shoulders. He was whistling contently to himself until he ran into a squadron of 3 knights. Due to this little encounter he now found himself pushed unto a wall and held there of a non-descriptive building.

"Hey man, what you do that for? I mean no trouble." He said with a bit of panic in his voice.

"Hmm… it's the fact that you are walking down the street when orders were given to remain in."

"Oh man! I knew I should have listened to the boss. Look, I mean no trouble. Are you what the league?" his showed fear.

"Damn right kid. Since you love to disobey orders, maybe we can take care of that." Sneered his captor as he placed a gun on his forehead.

"Look sir. I am a full Britannian who loves your ideals. I mean… come on, who those other people think they are. We are the superior people. I sympathize with your cause. I was supposed be recruited today. You can even check my papers at the local academy where I am going." He blurted out quickly.

"Hmm…. Leave the kid, Josh. We don`t want to scare potential squires." Said the supposed commander of the squadron as he bought the reason.

The man obliged and released the blonde before directing a death glare towards him. Not that he paid any attention to it.

"Jeez… are you all so stuffed up and serious? I may reconsider my decision." He said blandly.

The knight commander merely chuckled at that "No, young man. It is just he is dedicated to our goals. He lost his name during the 'resurrection' period ans wants to avenge the humiliation he went through."

The boy looked sympathetically "Geez… Sorry about that. I didn`t mean any bad."

"Forget about such trivial cases." The captor brushed of "You were saying you were going for recruitment. Could you show us this place?"

"Why do you want to go there, Josh?" the Knight Commander asked.

"We can just inspect the place. I have never seen these academies. Give them a moral boost you know" Then he looked at the blonde "Plus, we can teach them something about the rules."

"Okay…okay. I will abide by the rules. Sheesh…. Give me a break already." He said and gestured them to follow him. He kept them 'occupied' by rambling about what he wanted to do. As he was about to tell his 10th plan of action, the sound of three jets flying over them brought them to a welcomed halt.

"Gaahh! What a loud noise. Ain`t there rules on flying jets over cities?" The blonde screamed and cowered in a dramatic fashion.

"Hush, you girl. Looks like there some trouble at the border." The knight said.

"It may be the black knights. Too bad, they will be pulp in around 3 minutes." Josh sneered.

The others the stopped in their tracks and started laughing at that. This was followed by a small session of racist joke exchange.

"No to be rude… but didn`t you all want to go somewhere?" the man interrupted.

"Ha…ha…Not… ha… at all." The commander said as he caught his breath. When he compose himself, he just gave an awkward cough to diffuse the sudden uneasiness. "Sorry about that…. Unprofessional display."

The man just shrugged his shoulders and continued on his rambling, much to the squad`s dismay.

"Do you think he will make a good recruit?" the knight asked Josh.

"He would, if he kept his mouth shut." And they snickered. They then carried out in silence for another 3 minutes.

"We're here." The man said cheerfully and gestured them to a small alley. He stepped aside so as to allow his 'superiors' to go in first

"Here? This is looks like some dingy alley, squire." Josh exclaimed as they walked in.

"What do you expect for dirt like you?" came a cold voice from behind.

"What did you-" the knight commander roared along with his comrades, only to truly see the face of the man as he removed his cap. Even though he had cut his trademark three braids, his face was unmistakable.

Before they could register what was happening he rammed the 2 knights into the wall, leaving them unconscious. This left the commander- who was mortally frightened of his adversary and the little display- alone as he crawled, stood, ran and fell frantically to get away. He however got himself deeper in the said place and was halted as the man overtook him and held him at gunpoint, earning a rather undignified scream.

"Shut your mouth if you want to live." He growled.

"Wha… what do you want me to do?"

The man tossed him comm. Headset "Tell the rest of your squadron that this sector is clear and to move on to the next. Keep it calm and no funny business."

The knight commander just nodded and did what he was told. After that he folded his hand and begged for his life. All that he felt was the butt of a gun on his head as he collapsed like a sack of potatoes.

The blonde picked up the headset and changed the frequency to that of a friendly.

"Anya." He said in a rather cheerful voice "Gino here. My sector is clear. Have the people been evacuated?" he waited for the reply. "Good. Tell Jeremiah I am proceeding to his sector to help him. Also, inform everyone the Black Knights have surrounded the perimeter. Got the info from one of the guys. Anyway, we should be done in 2 hours and then proceed to destroy the generator. Over."

As he put away his headset and picked his bag, he turned around once more.

"You people are not worthy to be alive. Nunnally however, wouldn`t condone me to do such a thing." He said flatly. He spun around and proceeded to his next location, not before dusting of his boots.

* * *

 **Hey there everyone. I still hope you are enjoying this story. I know it was going slow, but I intend to pick up the pace. Sorry if the fight scene isn`t too great, I am not a great expert in combat.**

 **Hip, hip Hurray! We are getting a season 3. I hope it does justice to the franchise.**

 **Please read and review, constructive criticism is always welcome.**

 **Enjoy!**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 6:-The Folly of the once-mighty Lords (part 2)**_

"Quickly, this way." Anya guided the inhabitants of her designated sector through the safe path cleared by them earlier. It lead through the main market area set up by the Japanese and then went down through the newly made and to be used sewers underground which led the people to the water catchment area outside the society. As she led them closer, she turned on her headset.

"Athena, I trust you take them from here."

No sooner she said that, a knightmare frame appeared from the tunnel. It identity and colours noticeable despite the poor lighting. This however didn`t stop a crazed frenzy from spreading among the evacuees. Struck with fear on the appearance of the giant, some started screaming in fear, most jostled about in the crowd to safer grounds. Still others threw themselves in from of their loved ones. The horrors committed by the said machines resurfacing in their memories resulting in their behavior. It hurt the young paladin to see them like this.

"Don`t be afraid." Anya went up to them. "We will not harm you."

"How can we be so sure?" One of the Japanese men spoke up.

"How many more must die in order to please you?" supported a distraught office lady.

"You may be part of the ethnic cleansing squad sent by Laurus. We won`t give up our pals that easily" A Britannian man supplemented. She found it a bit touching to see the two peoples standing together without any prejudice.

The knightmare in question ahead of them deactivated as it rested onto the ground. The pod opened to enable the exit of the pilot. Once again due to poor light, the pilot couldn`t be recognized easily by the general public.

"Fear not, we come in peace. We are part of the Holy Paladins." The familiar voice was heard as the figure moved closer to them. The faint hue of purple in the darkness and the ornamental battle suit revealed who was in their presence.

"It`s the Princess Cornelia!" they wept in joy.

"The empress never abandoned us after all!"

"We should have never doubted her majesty to break her promise."

The crowd slowly sobered down at the thought and organized themselves up once again. In the time it took for reorganization, Cornelia walked up to the pinkette who was browsing through their schedule for the mission.

"What is the status, Anya?"

The said girl sighed "Gino and Jeremiah have done must of the cleanup operation and are heading here with their groups. After that, while you lead the people out of the society a false attack will be mounted out."

"So, by the time I hand these people over to the Black Knight`s care we will have moved onto the final phase. Correct?" the princess browsed through her own.

"True. We should finish this by evening and report to the Empress. After all we did this without her knowledge."

Cornelia eyes softened a bit "Don`t worry. I will take responsibilities for any adverse consequences." She then turned about and headed back to her frame.

"Oh, keep me updated with the positions of our other paladins. I would like to finish this phase as soon as possible."

In a non-descriptive main street which went along the borders, the squires and the knight commanders charged down to find the 'troublemakers' and apprehend them. Their fact-spheres picked up their heat and UV signatures and had pin pointed them down their current location.

Now…. Where the little, little rodents could be hiding?

"Alpha, secure the perimeter. Beta search through the abandoned buildings. Delta assist with sweep up behind beta. You all have orders to shoot at will and take necessary action. Is that understood? Just destroy those imbecile Paladins!"

"Yes my lord!" came the collective reply.

From one of the abandoned roof tops, a certain teal haired cyborg was surveying the scene by hacking into the closed circuit cameras set up in the neighborhood. Next to him, Gino was going over some things as well as monitoring the status of the knightmares of the paladins via his laptop.

"It seems that the diversion worked pretty well." The blonde spoke having done the needful and rested his back against the railing of the terrace. Below, frantic orders were being passed all around the block as the squires broke into the nearby buildings.

"It has all gone as planned. Hopefully this will keep them occupied for about another 30 minutes." He then shut down his in built computers and turned to his comrade. "I trust that you did the needful?"

A smile graced the younger one`s face. "Ever the grounded one, Jerry?"

"I have sworn an oath and I intend to keep it." He returned in kind.

Gino got up from his seat and started packing up their equipment into the travel bags they had hidden before. They had to move and fast, so they elected to carry the essential kit with them. The events and troop behavior were all within the expectation of their plan. This would be the last squads to be contained before they could concretely move on to phase 2.

"Hurry along, young man. This is the last of the mundane work before the serious stuff begins."

Gino couldn`t suppress his smile from widening. Sir Jeremiah, the most stable and rational thinking among the paladins and of unquestionable loyalty. He had an interesting history behind him, but deep down he was a gem of a person. Ever the elder among them, he reined them-including Zero in certain instances-back, in difficult situations and lightened the mood when necessary. Currently, he just finished taking care of the last of the equipment to be left back, checking if valuable intel was left back.

"Well, hopefully we have no more hitches." Gino grunted. Both of them did sustain injuries due to the nearly 4 hours of non-stop hand combat. Though, one of them had the advantage of being part machine…

Anyway, that would be for another time. Now then, to work….

 **The Black Knight`s camp, 40 minutes later**.

Zero strode quickly into the medical area of the black knight`s camp. Apparently, a huge ruckus occurred there while he was discussing with the now conscious Tohdoh, in his room. If what he heard was true, the paladins were now in Tokyo.

As he exited their temporary settlements, he was greeted by the sight nearly 10,000 people being organized around by black knights. The unmistakable figure in the middle of all this ordered chaos, supervising it caught his attention.

"Lady Cornelia." He said simply to the lady as she was ordering for medical assistance and further transportation.

Said warrior princess didn`t need to turn around as the enigmatic figure stood next to her to take stock of the situation.

"The paladins had gotten Intel of someone trying to take the society hostage to cripple the relationship between our 2 countries. We came undercover only to see our worst fears came true."

"Why wasn`t this information shared with me?" His tone was acidic.

"Zero, we got the information just 4 hours before the commencement of the empress`s meeting and we were to brief you as soon as we landed here. But the situation called for us to take action." She faced him while he kept staring forward.

"… I understand." Suzaku finally let out. Zero wasn`t supposed to bend down to others, but take everyone along with him. A beacon of hope, if you will.

Cornelia sighed and turned to leave. "The situation here is under control. We got all the civilians out of the line of fire. I suggest you make your way to Shinkiro L. We need you in the field, Zero."

 **In the Ebisu-Jude Society.**

The buildings crumbled forth to reveal the Agravains which charged through them in their search for the 2 paladins who were currently in their way to fulfill their plans. The hostages in the complex which had been 'cleansed'- to demonstrate their resolve- had escaped. They were 'numbers' which his highness wanted to 'train' into their 'attendants'. If His highness heard about this….

"Squire! Status report!"

"We have screened through the entire street my lord. There is not even a heat signature of the perpetrators." He reported to his commander.

"I don`t care if we have to level this place down to get them. I need them skewered up and done with before his majesty gets wind of this!" the contingent recoiled at this and hastily went back to their duties.

The screening was continued for another 30 minutes before they all converged to their leader with the same results.

"Curse them to the very depths of Hell! Where could those vermin's be hiding?" He roared.

There was the slick sound of a clean metal cut. On turning to see the source of this, the commander noticed that around half his squad was leveled down for no apparent reason.

"What`s going on? Who did this?"

"We aren`t detecting any residue or signature left behind sir." One of the squires reported.

"Tch.. So if that is how they want to play…." The remaining squad gathered round themselves to self-assemble 10 Uranus cannons.

"Okay Paladins." The commander bellowed through the communication systems. "This is the last warning, surrender now or be prepared to be mowed down!"

Seeing that his 'compassion' had no takers, the commander activated the sequence to fire. The 6 quad-barreled cannons charged up an ominous bluish green aura within themselves before being unleashed on the neighborhood. A cloud of dust engulfed the small party. As soon as the dust curtain fell, a crater stood in place of a once thriving street. The destruction and mess was heart wrenching to witness if any of the inhabitants were still there.

To the soldiers, it was heart wrenching that their targets were still on the loose despite their best attempts.

"WHERE ARE YOU, CRETINS?" the knight roared as his squad dwindled in size to 4. Each time the cannons fired up low intensity shots at their fast moving targets, one of the Agravain`s would go down. Thus reducing them to their current number.

"FINE! IF THAT IS THE WAY YOU WANT TO PLAY." The 4 knightmares faced back to back about their axis to form a 4 directional gun system which rotated slowly like a top, while charging themselves up. "WE WILL JUST HAVE TO SLICE THIS PLACE DOWN WITH YOU."

The rotating 'Venus' slicer was just a low powered Uranus. Unlike the cannon, however it could give precision strikes and in bloom configuration could slice through most materials.

Lady luck didn`t seem to be with them today. Venus had cut down all the remaining skeleton of the street. Despite this, the paladins remained elusive to the dwindling squad. Blinded by rage he had never experienced before, the commander increased the intensity of the weapon. Due to the extra energy, the barrels started to melt. The terrified squires begged him to see reason and reign back, but the man wasn`t having any of this.

The display and the squire`s misery were cut short when a blur whisked past them, leaving the gun frames in two pieces. The pilots managed to escape due to the self-ejection system but their superior had no such luck. The force with which he was hit had damaged the processing unit. As he frantically tried to restore control, 4 slash harkens fatally disarmed the knight while launching him to a nearby wall due to sheer force. The Agravain crashed through the wall, into the building and slumped into a pile of scrap near the far end. The knight blacked out within the cockpit due to the impact of the severe assault.

The Roland along with the Siegfried cleared a path to reach to the fallen frame. Once within proximity, Jeremiah wirelessly accessed the data within the knightmare to see if there was a shred of evidence to locate the signal generator. Thank Lloyd for making Siegfried a powerhouse for cyber warfare as well.

"…Any news, Jerry?" Roland`s pilot inquired after a while.

"I have gathered up something which _may_ be useful but it is all scattered. Some are corrupted but most are encrypted. Just give me a while…"

Gino raised his arm to rest it on the veteran paladin`s shoulder. "Take your time…" He then faced towards the temporary entrance which he made through the wall. From the minor alarm buzzing within his cockpit to the faint movement along the horizon, he knew that they wouldn`t be left unperturbed for long. On a lighter note, they really should do something on the knightmare`s exterior design. He mentally chuckled for being like a child in the middle of an operation.

"…. I have got your back." Roland`s motors were rearing to go.

 **Back in the throne room.**

"My lord, it seems we have close to capturing the Roland and Siegfried." The guard bowed low while conveying the message to his emperor.

"That`s good news. Please make yourself scarce now." He gave him a dismissive flick of his wrist and returned his gaze to the tablet in his hand to continue his conference with Hugo.

"I must admit, I underestimated the 100th empress." He sighed while running his hand through his hair. "I didn`t think she would have kept the paladins within the zone under reconnaissance. This indeed is troublesome." He sighed in exasperation.

"How does this alter your plans, my emperor?"

Fredric just rested his arm on his hand, a smirk on creeping. "This changes nothing. It is just a minor bug in my path. What is the status of the rounds?"

"They should be over there within an hour. I doubt any of the paladins will survive by then." Hugo stated with an amused smirk.

"Even if they did, they will be shredded to oblivion."

"Squire, execute Code 2X2 to evacuate all operatives in the society. Looks like we have an opening."

"As you wish, my lord."

 **Back on the battlefield.**

Gino just managed to pull down his cape in the nick of time for it to take the impact of the spears. While the piloted frames were easy enough to handle, it were the drone frames- which made around 75% of the reinforcements- that were giving him trouble. In isolation, they were sitting ducks, but they were beasts when they attacked as a group. They seemed been programmed with his fight style as most of his attacks were expertly waived off.

'Damn, these are some tough nuts to crack!' Gino thought wearily. He quickly put some space with his opponents to get a head count of the remaining drones. He could only use his radar tracker due to the signal generator still being in operation.

'Let`s see, we have…70 of them… Not bad.' He cursed mentally '…it will take a bit more of our time even with Jerry.' the veteran knight was engaged in his own battle by leading the enemy to strategic points and promptly disposing them. The good part, Jerry took a sizable chunk of them. The bad part, there were still 70 of them.

'Well, looks like it is time to use my party trick.' A sad smile crept on his face. Returning to a battlefield was not something he wanted, even now. After all that had happened, he among many others did not want the young empress to deal with the old ways of deceit and war. She was strained, weary and exhausted despite her strong façade in a way no teenage girl should. How was she to explain their actions today to the world? The media anyway would distort the facts and quickly blame the former empire, despite Nunnally`s efforts of image building and tireless works.

'These are one of the few times feel like I understand the Demon.'

Taking out his twin MVS swords, Gino boosted his thrusters to maximum output, catapulted out of his safe zone and into the converging barrage of the enemy. Having built a speed of around Mach 2, he sliced through them with ease and finesse befitting his stature. The swords did not once receive resistance of any sort as the paladin flew on. The poor automation were still coming in terms of his actions until they dropped down into various segments due to 'blades of speed.'

After his little performance, Gino took shelter in one of the many abandoned complexes. Taking refuge in the parking lot, he slouched forward to get his breadth back. Travelling at supersonic speed, within city bounds, with a sword to defeat a whole regiment of bots is no joke. After he was done, he had raised his swords in the air and couldn`t help but say.

"C`est fini."

However, it seemed his enemies would be having the last laugh. Undetected by him, there were some of them stationed within the complex he was taking refuge in and now had surrounded him. As his sphere remained down, snipers were set up on all floors ready to blast their target. He raised his head only to be met with rifles at the ready and a small group were having Uranus ready to fire.

'This…is not my lucky day.' came the grim thought.

Sure he had enough power to take all their hits, but he would like to as minimum damage as possible from the minions….

As if answering, the entire encirclement was rained with a familiar pinpoint red rays of death. He had enough time to activate his shield system to protect himself from the flying debris. There was no doubt as to who was responsible for that.

"Oliver, it`s good to have you back."

"Even Roland can`t do things alone." Slight taunting creeping in the young girl`s voice. She landed her frame next to their leader and did a status check on him. Fortunately, the damage was not significant and energy readings were at 65%.

"The princess will be here along Siegfried, shortly."

"Till then, tell me the status of our operation."

At this, the displays in Roland and Oliver flared up "On breaching within the walls of the society, the security had been systematically taken down about the boundaries. Using the Public works department storage as our rally point, we secured the civilians and have now kept them under the protection of the black knights. Thus ensuring minimal casualties and no hostage situation. Enemy behavior within expectations and nothing out of the new." Anya concluded.

Gino rubbed his chin "This means all that is left is to take down the signal generator, destroy Jupiter to let the Black Knights take over and take Fredric into custody."

At that, the remaining 2 paladins joined them. The next course of action was going to be difficult as someone had to alert the Black Knights or specifically Zero when the shield was taken down.

"Your majesty, has Zero been made aware of the situation?" Jeremiah clarified for the others. Any information is valuable at this point.

"I told to remain in stand-by along with the Shikigami squad. I see no troubles from that end." She replied crisply.

"Okay, let`s move to the final phase." Gino replied while syncing some maps with the other 3 frame. "This is what we managed to recover from the enemy forces. Your majesty and Jeremiah will be in charge of taking down the cannon or keep the forces occupied until the shield is offline. Once that is done, you two will facilitate the Black knight`s entry and co-ordinate with them for further action."

"Sounds fair enough." Cornelia sounded pretty pleased.

"Meanwhile, I will go with Anya to take down that menace of a disruptor."

"Good riddance, the Morse system was taking too much power." The cyborg snorted. Since all signals were meddled with, the 4 of them were using an offshoot of the Morse code system-though it is totally automated.

"There is no time to waste. We had sworn to resolve this before the matter goes to out of hand for the Empress." Cornelia boomed through their lines "Remember for what we fight for."

With that, they split up to their respective missions.

 **Same time, Black Knights camp.**

The Shikigami squad as well as a good chunk of the troops were camouflaged in the vegetation present near the crater created by Jupiter that morning. From what Cornelia told them, they would create an opening for them from the front gates. All that was needed was a message from Roland and a flare from Oliver to roll out.

"Kallen, Tohdoh. Are you absolutely sure you two are ready for deployment?" the robotic voice of the masked messiah went through their private lines.

"With due respect sir, we have sustained much worse damage and faced even bleaker odds. This was just an insect bite to what we have faced before." Kallen fiery voice blazed through.

"Besides, the Paladins will need all the back-up they can get. From what I gather, they have been doing this since just before the UFN situation."

Zero couldn`t help but agree on that. Right now, fresh hands would be needed to bring a speedy end to the operation. His comrades were working overtly and covertly for around 10 hours to ensure minimal damage within the society. His mind however was trapped in the personal thoughts of Suzaku. He still couldn`t wrap around the fact their sacrifices may come to naught just…just because of some people`s desire for power.

For the first time in 2 years, he had the urge to snap someone`s neck.

That however would be dealt later. Now he could wait and watch for his turn….

 **The society, 30 minutes after the above events.**

Anya had to admit, the security around the generator was pretty much full proof. An initial barrage of drones and missiles followed by the drone Agravains which were more customized than the ones they faced earlier and linear cannons. In the heart of all this was their target.

Anya was pushed back to the wall when 4 drones ganged up on her. There was no room for her to use her rifles and the pin-point hadron cannon were damaged beyond use due to the aerial wave they had encountered. From the corner of her screen she could see a linear cannon ready to take a shot.

Said muzzle was destroyed and two of her adversaries were taken care of by Gino. Seeing her opening, she fired up her rifle and blew the them to oblivion.

"Geez, do they have a factory producing them as we fight? They just keep coming." Gino tried to ease the tension despite his ragged breaths. At that moment, his MVS sword was knocked from his hand by a drone managed to counter it, but had no means of recovering his sword. Seeing an opening, Anya broke away from the melee she was engaged in and threw one of her rifles to her compatriot who caught. As soon as he recovered it, they opted for a strategic withdrawal to catch their breaths.

The sound of land-spinners scouring through the metal broke the silence of the zone. The two pilots managed rested themselves as well as they could in 5 minutes before once again, analyzing their situation.

"The only way to do it is the bait and stick policy." She said simply after going through all the scenarios they could think of. Gino understood what she meant and was oddly happy. Maybe his fighting blood hadn`t cooled down after all. A minute later, the Paladins roared out of their retreat splitting themselves before making contact. Anya went head on into enemy lines. Sensing the need to curtail a zealous opponent, all the Agravains converged to where she was fighting, not noticing that a few of their 'automated' sentries were being taken down.

Gino roared forth to the target which was now lightly guarded. The window to strike was narrow and judging from the missiles coming out once again, it just became narrower.

He took a steep climb into the air to ascertain what missile types they were. As expected, they were target seeking ones which just didn`t seem to leave his back. Out maneuvering them also wasn`t helping. Anya was doing pretty well, but it wouldn`t last much longer.

The missiles seemed to be moving at sonic speed to aid their handling and direction changes. Taking that into account, Gino did the most outrageous thing he could.

Hitting the boosters back to max power, he soared into the upper reaches of the sky. As expected, the missiles still had time to catch up. Switching to VARIS mode, he took pinpoint and area shots to deal with them.

He re-entered the shield once again and before the AI defense system sent more reinforcements, he took the final shot at the signal generator. The target was not missed.

"Princess, the target has been eliminated. What is the situation back there?" Gino asked as soon as he was done.

"Not too good. It was as we feared, reinforcements are too many, but we can keep them at bay for a good 20 minutes."

"That` way more than what we need." He grinned "Clear exit routes for yourselves within 2 minutes, I will get Zero to do the needful." With that, the young paladin signed off.

Seeing the objective was done, Anya slashed her way through the last of the drones and finished of the rest with an area burst. Finally, she sent up a volley of VARIS, Hadron and Baryon beams to signal their allies to enter the fray.

 **Administrative block.**

"Your highness, enemy has destroyed the signal generator."

"What are you doing scumbags? Send in more forces to destroy them!" Fredric roared. This couldn`t be happening, all dreams were slipping away from them.

"Enemy has cleansed of 70% of our forces my lord."

He banged his fist onto the table in frustration and fear. "Where are the knights of the Round? They were supposed to be here an hour ago. Why haven`t they arrived?"

"They need another 10 minutes." Someone shouted from the monitors.

Before Fredric could break into another tirade, some of the squires and 'royal guard' rushed through the doors of the control room. "Your majesty, we have been instructed by Sir Hugo to take you to a secure location within the building. Please, follow us." Relieved that some people still realized their priorities (i.e. his safety and well-being), Fredric turned around and ordered his staff.

"Remain here and keep me posted. Don`t get out or even dream of surrendering."

The officials and generals looked away from what they were doing and bowed before their lord "For the glory of neo-Britannia, we would never do that."

Reassured, the emperor left his Throne/control room. As he followed his them, he was a bit unnerved as to why the eyes of his guards were red rimmed….

 **Black Knights camp.**

The black knights noticed the flares rising up in the sky. It was at that moment that an incoming friendly signal linked up with Shinkiro to reveal the blond paladin.

"Zero" he continued through ragged breaths alarming all who heard him "Jupiter temporarily been disabled. Activate the druid system and target all those around it except for friendlies. It`s time to gatecrash the party."

Suzaku needed no further initiative to act. Quickly activating the supercomputers within his frame, he locked on all the targets mentioned by Gino. Doing the necessary calculations, the system asked its pilot to grant the necessary permission to launch.

The Zero beam fired along with the prism to rain down terror on its foes. The second it fired, the black knights charged forward towards the main gate to take it down. If their estimates were right, Jupiter should have been offline for around 5 minutes.

No sooner than said targets were down, Shinkiro rose into the air and zipped within the zone ahead of his troops. From its elevated position, he could see the intricate and deadly canon that was a bane to them for a while now. From the looks of it, it seemed to be unmanned and the AI block was well concealed away from enemy fire.

Shinkiro L`s systems switched its rifles and cannons to dual Baryon-VARIS mode and reduced the beautiful serpent to ashes with a terrifying fireworks display. Meanwhile, a company of black knight had taken down the front gates and swarmed into the zone.

"Zero what are your orders?" Kallen came up to him. At that moment, a friendly communication connected with them, Princess Cornelia.

"Zero, split up the knight into groups and send them to these specific locations."

She fed the co-ordinates to the black king "This phase is mostly nullifying the remaining threats left here. Assign the Shikigami squad to take down the administrative block along with Roland."

Nodding his head in acknowledgment, he turned to faced his trusted squad "Tohdoh, you and the princess co-ordinate with the neutralization. Ensure enough back-up for surprises and cleanup. Kallen, come with me." He then turned his frame and locked it`s position to the throne room.

"We have to pay a visit to some 'relative'."

A smug voice replied "We sure have rough relatives."

 **Same time Administrative block.**

"Enemy has destroyed 90% of the troops."

"Main squad heading towards the throne house!"

"Useless imbeciles!" Fredric hit the table with his fist for the god knows what time. The monitor seemed to be streaming the worst news it could ever since he left the throne room. Anger, frustration and more all, fear levels reached an all-time high within his body. He couldn`t bear to see the plan that he worked for so long be dismantled by the lowly numbers and….

"Knight of One, Bismarck Waldstein awaits your permission to enter." Said a familiar voice that somehow turned the emperor`s mood by 180 degrees. Fredric couldn`t have ordered the door to be opened fast enough. Through those doors of Salvation, Bismarck and Dorathea walked through.

"My knight! How long have I waited for you." He tried to be nonchalant of it, but the excitement crept into his overall manner.

The knight went down on their knees to execute the perfect mark of respect. "We highly apologies for the delay your highness." Dorathea explained "There were certain things that needed to be taken care of."

"I will look past them today." Fredric hastily made way towards the door "for now, follow me back to the throne room. We have some cockroaches that don`t want to be cleansed from my kingdom"

"You mean, _My kingdom_. Fredric." A sinister voice filled the room.

"What…."the monarch turned back from what he was doing, only to realize he was standing in a realm of nothingness with the said knights back towards him.

"Tch, tch, tch…. Humans indeed are such lousy things. Petty thoughts and flitting wishes." The voice boomed through the space.

"Bismarck!? What the hell is going on here?" fear was evident in his voice.

They disregarded him and bowed at the void ahead of them. All his question were met with silence. All orders met with disobedience of non-compliance. This was enough to push the fear laden man to the other extreme.

"How dare you disobey me? ME? You're sovereign King? Don`t you have any honour?"

This however was met by roaring laughter of the sinister voice. It was…. Human yet…. Inhuman? Had emotion yet… none? Who was this person who had power to induce such illusions on a collective gathering?

"Pardon me for that…" the voice returned, but it had a definite chill. At the same time a silhouette of a man could be seen from a distance. "I haven`t heard something this funny since…. A long time." The definite edge was evident.

Fredric recoiled onto the ground "What….are…. you?"

The silhouette became a bit clearer, the face seemed to be well chiseled and he had longish hair. That however was all that he could make out.

"I am….who I am." It said in a voice that was neither male nor female voice. It had an ethereal quality to it. "I am also the one who used you so well in all these years." Amusement was clear now.

"How can you say that? I have worked independently….."

"Did you really think you ran the show, Freddy?" the voice was positively leering.

Realization and piecing things together more often than not happens in very sticky situations.

"Ha Ha Ha…. That expression never gets old, you know?" he laughed off to what appeared to be his side before properly facing him.

"The KOR answer to me and me alone. The reason you have 'power' is that they just happened to follow my instructions. You were just…what should I say….a stop-gate at best in the game."

The entity finally-what seemed like- turned his back towards the terrified man and started fading into the nothingness.

"It was good knowing you, Fredric. Your wealth and 'expertise' in ruling a kingdom are well noted" He waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, and the two of you, be the dearies you are and clean up the mess."

They all returned back into the safe room that housed Fredric. The 2 knights got up from their positions and faced Fredric dead in the eye. On his side, Fredric was flailing on the ground, trying to put up a safe distance between the two of them. He had been deceived in all grand scheme of things. All that praise, grandeur of restoring the empire a sweet pretty lie! He wouldn`t go down without a fight or put some dent into this entity`s plan, but how? His survival instincts answered that as he pulled out his 0.45 Odin shotgun and aimed at his two assailants in shaky hands.

"Stay where…you…are…or…I`ll shoot." He looked anything but majestic right now.

Dorathea stayed where she was. Bismarck kept on walking towards him, his eyes glowing with some strange power. Unable to bear it, Fredric closed his eyes and pulled the trigger.

The footsteps didn`t cease. He eyes still remained closed until he heard the ringing sound of something falling near him. On opening his eyes, he saw the bullet he had just fired by his side. Bismarck fell to his knees and held his chin within his palms.

"In all this time, I thought you would change for the better." He said with a stone expression

"Please, don`t do this to me. I…I will… pay you double than that of your current master."

"….And yet, you beg for your life like a dog. The world we seek don`t need men like you." He forcefully pushed the man down and got up to walk away.

"Make it quick Dorathea. We have work to do." He retreated through the door.

"You swore…. You swore an oath Bismarck…"

Suddenly, he had lost control of his body. His arms were forced to his side and he lost control of his legs. Soon, he was suspending in the mid-air with the said knight in the room looking at him with a cruel smirk on her face. Her eyes-like the knight before-glowing with some strange power.

"It is as they say, Fredric."

He was clearly buckling trying to get his body back in his control. Instead, his shotgun was now placed on his forehead by his hand no less.

"Keep your friends close…"

The trigger was now at half position.

"…And your enemies closer"

The bullet did not miss it`s mark now.

 **Same Time, outside the Administrative Block.**

The sole paladin and the two Shikigami soldiered on towards their goal. The defense systems were elaborate and pretty ingenious. No small thanks to Victor Hugo.

"Shinkiro, what is your status?" Roland pulled up next to him as they took cover from hail of metal and sulpher.

"Energy readings indicate 30 minutes of full power use." He said simply. The situation was reminiscent to that at Kyushu.

"Scan the terrain once again and feed them to my knightmare. That way we can finish them of efficiently together."

At that moment, they heard the familiar sound of metal boiling up due to an over boost of energy.

"Looks like someone doesn`t share our sentiment." Fondness crept in the blond paladin`s voice as he entered the fray once again.

Zero sighed as Shinkiro scanned through the terrain once again. It also calculated the most inconspicuous path to the building as he had tasked himself of getting Fredric into their custody.

He had to still learn to reel back his emotions, especially on the battle field.

The frame shared the necessary data with its compatriots and Zero guided it towards his target. He noticed some sort of phase distortion looming around the building but paid no heed to it. It may just have been his mind playing tricks on him after all the events…

 **BOOM!**

The explosion rocketed everything in its path including the three frames. Thankfully, they managed to set their shields up just in time to save themselves from debris and aftershock.

The great black king stood speechless at the sight of the smoldering building. Through the flames, he could have sworn to have seen another….craft or two looking back at the sight before mysteriously disappearing from his view. Even the Druid system didn`t seem to pick it up. His still fragile mind was once again in chaos. There were so many clues, hints and possibly other things behind these recent chain of events. The main thoughts ringing clearly above all other thoughts in Suzaku`s mind were

'Who is my enemy?'

'Why?'

* * *

 **The next day, UFN conference hall.**

The mood in the hall was somber as journalist from all over the world gathered to for a joint statement of the situation that arose yesterday. Tabling it was Chairwoman Kaguya, Empress Nunnally, Prime minister of Japan Ohgi, Gino Weinberg and Zero. The need for this at such short notice being the need to clear the air on the issue and reinstating Britannia`s will to be a peaceful state.

"The events of yesterday have shattered all of us here. Directly or indirectly, it has effected nearly everyone around the globe." Ohgi started of the briefing. It was painful for him that the incident happened under his watch. More shameful was the fact that they had been warned about it. "The attacks were conducted by a faction, known as 'The league'. The movement started around the time of the demon`s fall clinging to the archaic beliefs of the tyrant, Charles zi Britannia. Their main goal, the revival of the 'One, true empire' that we all rejected and fought against. Thus, the simultaneous strikes on our leaders on the symbol of unity for all people, The Ebisu-Jude Society. Despite our greatest efforts, there were casualties both civilian and armed. We deeply regret and apologize to the families of the deceased. If it is any consolation to them, it is that the entire group has been eliminated."

Ohgi waited for the applause to die down to continue.

"This series of notorious incidents however, will not affect our ties with Britannia. True, we will be cautious but not overbearing to the effect of slapping sanctions. Our nations need a chance to right all the wrongs that we have inflicted on one another over time." With that, the veteran Black knight concluded his statement.

Kaguya, who was presiding over the event opened the questioning session with the media.

"Lord Zero, in the view of the current incidents do you think it is still wise to align yourself with Britannia? Though the Japanese prime minister says otherwise, what is your take on it?"

"The past is done and cannot be changed. Lessons however, can be learnt from it. I haven`t aligned myself to anyone. My presence is to ensure these lessons are learnt as we move into the future. I am willing to give her majesty as much of an opportunity to attain our common goals." The reply was short, ambiguous and diplomatic enough. Nunnally felt a tiny bit of pride at how Suzaku had grown into his role.

"I would like to ask this question to all the esteemed people on the dais. Rumors have gone out that the attacks had indeed been preplanned and the black knights had taken over the case pertaining of the league. Given the context, could we say that there is a rift-however minor it may be- existing in our top brass?"

Kaguya was quick to pick up the mike "Any large organization will have some levels of mismanagement when dealing with counterparts of similar magnitude."

"Our you thus confirming these rumors?" the excitement behind the voice was all too evident.

"No, I am merely stating the fact. These hurdles may lead to unfortunate incidents. But, it doesn`t mean it will make us turn a blind eye to such intelligence. I for one, know that if this news was known to us from the beginning, it would be dealt in the most fitting manner."

Another hand went up.

"I would like to put forth my question to our Britannian counterparts. Reports from reliable sources have told us that the league was headed by none other than the representatives, Fredric Laurus and Victor Hugo. Judging from the actions of today, people on the street believe this is a passive conquest on the part of the Empress of Britannia. And since Zero now resides in the palace, it is fair to…."

She was stopped half way as Gino took the mike. " I can assure you that there is no underhand motives in the empress`s actions. Actually, she has a target now for the Darwinist radicals still present within our nation and one-third`s of the world-"

"Those attacks on her could have been engineered-"

"My lady, do you think that any sane person- much less a leader, would risk his life to put just for some petty thing like that?" Gino was really reigning in his temper.

"She is the demon`s sister after all." The reporter up front said aloud.

"Is it really possible for the people of Britannia to become prophets of peace when they were only merchants of death?"

"What good can come from that rot on earth? Much less from their monarch? Huh."

The murmurs in the hall were getting louder and more demeaning with each passing minute. No one had dared accused the empress of her families sins before. It stung Suzaku`s heart a bit more deeply than he had anticipated. According to them, all her work to reconcile the nations seemed to be part of some larger scheme of things she was doing in the interests of her brother. Wasn`t all the running around and initiatives she took not enough evidence of the contrary? Zero was about to give a fitting answer and from the looks of it, Ohgi and Gino were about to do the same only to be stopped when the empress put out her hand.

"I understand that the events of today has inserted a wedge between out nations that we thought had been removed. Rest assured, our actions have no ulterior motives behind them. We just wish to aid the lives of the people that our predecessors had wronged to unimaginable lengths. It is hard to forgive, even harder to initiate that process. Thus owing to these events, we will reduce our involvement in Japan." The crowd of reporters were on their feet and there was chaos in the room but she persisted on. "We will not reduce our financial and technological aid to the country, but we will pull back all our operatives here, have a background check on all of them again and send them back again. I hope this is a good step to restore our ties once again."

Kaguya quickly took stock of the situation as Zero and Gino escorted the young empress back to her quarters.

 **Tokyo, the imperial hotel.**

Suzaku had changed Nunnally inspected for any injuries from the attacks as soon as they arrived. Seeing it was nothing but a few scratches, the doctor was dismissed. Sayako immediately served them their dinner and left the room. In the silence of their meal, she asked the elder boy to help her finish up. Feeling that warmth of protective affection, Suzaku helped her up. She would only ask him to do so if she was particularly disturbed over something.

As he helped her into bed, she didn`t let go of his hand.

"Suzaku, do you think I did the right thing?"

He patted her head gently with his other hand and smiled "You did well, Nunnally. It was pretty well thought out. It gives us time to reassess our information while inspiring confidence among the masses that we are firm in our promises."

She however didn`t seem to feel at rest at that and continued to stare at the ceiling. The silence was comfortable between them as he kept on patting her to sleep just as Lelouch had done to them when they were younger. As the troubled eyes of the empress started to close, she let out a small sigh.

"What is the true nature of man?"

Suzaku was taken aback at this innocent question. The wind was back once again, gently blowing the tresses of the girl in seeming order and putting her more at ease. It was relaxing for Suzaku too who also had certain thoughts plaguing his mind. He had no doubt as to who was the source of this calming wind.

After a while, he removed the young girl`s hand and got up from his station. Then as was the nightly custom, he kissed Nunnally on her forehead. She was entitled to these little indulgences no matter how childish they seemed. He looked on at her and whispered.

"From what I know, it is of goodness."

And he quietly made way to his chambers.

* * *

"What is the true nature of man, dear?" the silhouette of the man asked into the nothingness of the realm. He was seated on an elaborate throne placed on a grand platform. At the base of it, another silhouette, that of a women was seen. She was down on her one knee, a picture of perfect obedience to her lord.

"It is for man to decide, which path he chooses." Her voice was melodious, but had some hidden quality in it.

The being on the throne was pleased with her reply. "Then, it is time to aid man with his decisions."

* * *

"A leech had 2 daughters and both were named 'Give Me'."

 **-Book of Proverbs, the Holy Bible.**

* * *

 **I am so sorry for the HUGE delay in releasing this chapter. One thing lead to another and it is completed at last. As I said before, this story will not be left incomplete and will run it`s full course. Thanks once again for your support and patience. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did penning it down.**

 **As usual, Constructive criticism and encouraging words are always welcome. If you have any ideas, please let me know in the review column.**

 **Thanks for your time, and once again**

 **Enjoy!**


	8. Chapter 8

" _Truly I say to you, there is much more joy in heaven when a sinner repents for his sins than there is for ninety-nine good men who need no repentance."_

 _-_ _ **The Gospel of St. Luke, the Holy Bible**_

 _ **Chapter 6:-The Absolution of the Once Proud King (age-1)**_

"In view of the events leading to up to this point Lelouch, I the gate keeper of heaven allow you within the realm of the living." Peter announced within the minor hall of judgment. He was seated upon a throne in front of the grand Alter-which was hidden from their view by a majestic screen. The young boy seemed at ease. Raphael was standing behind him and reassuringly put his arm on the young soul`s shoulders. Beside him, Gabriel was holding his hand.

"Your penance however will be thus." A light tension filled his body which made Gabriel squeeze his hand in assurance.

"Don`t think too much about it." The raven haired teen whispered "he may look stern, but ol` Pete is actually a softie!"

"… Raphael, please maintain a bit of decorum here." Peter said with an exasperated to voice. His propped hand cradling his head from a mild headache building up due to a certain someone. Geez, he may be a breath of fresh air in the order of heaven but at least he could act his age!

Collecting his thoughts, the saint then faced the young soul, who-though comforted by the angels-awaited in fear for what was in store for him. Gentleness washed over his aged face as he pronounced the verdict "You are to live your life once again. Not a fresh start from the beginning, but close to one. You will live it from the age of 10 to an appropriate time where you shall be given a more fitting role. Your soul will be tested in this time, but never to torment you."

The great apostle stood up from his seat "Show us child, the inner good that has long been concealed."

He then turned to the older boys in attendance, before he took his leave "I entrust him in your care now."

Gabriel bowed his head in deference and led the little band out of Peter`s realm.

"Well that went better than expected." Raphael trailed behind them with his hands in his pockets. Young Lelouch was still holding onto the brunette`s hand as if it were a life line.

"So… where are we going?" he asked with a bit of his confidence back in his voice. His face however said otherwise.

"To the realm of the living." Gabriel said warmly. Raphael quickly followed to it when he noticed the quizzical expression.

"It isn`t that we are going back to earth. It is just a place where the souls of purgatory live till they are fully admitted in heaven. It is… a sort of relief to the eternal purification they had to endure for the absolution of sins. They also manage to live out their dreams which they may have had, as well as make peace with past regrets"

"It isn`t all fun and games though." Gabriel took over once again. "Souls are faced with a slightly more difficult life than those faced when alive. It is the final test. You live there as you always would-with free will. It is the choices that affect the future course."

Raphael suddenly jumped in front of them his fingers pointed accusingly towards the blond "Hey, who's the one scaring him now?" he then looked towards Lelouch a chuckled a bit at the sight of the two mighty archangels fighting like little kids.

Having made their peace, they led him to the place within the realm which they would be calling home for the rest of his stay here.

* * *

Their home was placed in the most picturesque place Lelouch had ever seen. It was situated on a flat plain between two mountain ranges which snaked through the landscape. It`s beauty enhanced by the light reflecting from the lake situated in the middle of the basin. Lush, green forests clothed from the peaks to some distance from the lake shore. A bit of mist peppering the mountain tops completed the whole setting.

"Waah! This is so beautiful!" the young boy`s eyes twinkled in delight. Raphael grinned on as he sat on the ground

"That`s right kiddo! We get the most excellent view and weather on this side of heaven."

As they took in the sight for a bit longer, Lelouch looked about the place. If this is to be their dwelling place, this has to be a 'home'

"Umm… but I don`t see any place for us to stay…"

A light chuckle escaped Gabriel`s lips as he sat down on the inviting green carpet. As he lay down, gestured the raven heads next to him to join him.

"For a while, we will be living in a tent. Tomorrow, we will start building something a bit more comfortable to live in." gently, he pulled him closer to them as the wind was cold and Lelouch was starting to shiver.

"Whoa there, someone can`t handle a bit of cold!" the raven head angel (teen?) Rolled to his side and started tickling him.

"Ha-ha… st…ha…stop…ha….it!"

This game went on for quite a while, with bickering and small talk going back and forth between them.

"Okay kids, time to get some food to eat. As it stands, it won`t fall in front of us like manna from heaven." the brunette ending their blissful time.

"Umm….but aren`t we close to heaven." Lelouch asked innocently.

And Raphael couldn`t stop laughing at the expression the usually calm Gabriel was sporting. Truly, looking after kids was the best.

The meal consisted of some fruits that they had collected at the boundary of the clearing and the forest. It was pretty uneventful-except with Lelouch nearly getting lost in the thicket. They returned back, soiled and muddied from their adventures to their rudimentary tent which they had built before the foraging episode. It was large for the three of them to huddle into and give decent protections from the elements. As soon as they set down their prizes, Raphael went about to start a campfire-it was getting a tad too cold. As expected, he and Lelouch created a huge ruckus with their constant bickering and bonding while Gabriel was playing peace keeper between them. As the blanket of night became thicker over them, the boy fell asleep using the brunette`s thigh as a pillow.

"How are things looking so far?" the raven haired was sitting on a log he had hauled earlier to make them comfortable.

Gabriel kept stroking the boy in slumber, easing him from his nightmares "The scars run deep. Despite the happiness that he felt today, he is still weeps and laments at the actions he has done. He feels unworthy of being loved, cared and protected. Unfortunately, this means the negative emotions within him are threatening to take a permanent hold. His fears-are dark and misty- even now are try desperately to grab hold of his soul."

Silence descended for a while as they stared at the dying embers of the campfire.

"Things aren`t looking well on the earth as well. The servant to the dragon has finally awakened and is started to gather up his forces. Also, his allies have infiltrated within the various rulers courts. To make matters worse, people are silently accepting his cause without even knowing it."

The brunette frowned at that "His only means of survival…" He closed his eyes as he recalled the countless times in history, man was led by the enemy, especially…the one time _the_ man cried in agony as the heavens were split…

"…. deceit and negative emotions. Unfortunately, the earth is overflowing with them and more."

The great comforting angel placed rested his hand on the one of great strength, his mischievous face still donning his trademark smile.

"Don`t overthink it. The knight we have is a strong one."

They looked on at the peaceful sleeping form in front of them. Gabriel carefully lifted him up

"Hold open the tent. It will do us no good if the _champion_ catches measly cold on his first day towards redemption!"

Silently agreeing, they made their way back to their tents, ready for what challenges lay ahead for their littlest family member.

* * *

"How much further is it?" Lelouch groaned, shielding his face from the bright sun shining down through the canopy of the forest.

"Just a bit more, even old Tim is feeling the heat." The horse grunted in agreement to his master`s assessment on his situation. Gabriel adjusted his hold on the reins, which earned him a pleased gruff for the relief. The stead slowly but surely pulled the cart through the new, meandering path. Timothy-Gabriel`s most trusted companion-was actually a divine beast which took the form of a fine Andalusian. Earlier in the day, the older boys had decided to upgrade their lodging to a little cottage. Breakfast flew by with them discussing on which wood to use, where it could be found and screaming at the top of their lungs when they noticed Lelouch had wandered a bit too close to the lake. Having secured their charge-after a bit of scolding-Raphael got himself decked up, ready to secure and chop the logs. The other two were in charge of logistics.

"Why couldn`t he just cut the wood near the tent?" Lelouch grumbled on.

"When do you feel the sense of accomplishment for a task? When you perform your best or when do it the 'easy way'?"

"Um… when I`m forced to do my best? Give everything I got?..."

"In a similar way when you put your efforts in a task or are making something, you will but your maximum effort to get do your best or get the best material. This results in a beautiful end product which oozes with your passion and emotions."

"I would love something like that." star twinkled in his eyes.

"For that, you will have to endure a little bit of sacrifice and pain." He patted his little brother, suppressing a groan. Tim made a sound akin to laughter.

They arrived at their destination at around mid-morning. Raphael and Hector, his companion-a beautiful gypsy horse-lining up the logs that he had prepared since morning.

"Took you guys long enough!" the raven head positioned the last of his logs and sank down on the ground. Hector ignored his master and seemingly went up to the band, nudging his head in welcome towards Lelouch. Gabriel lined the cart with the logs and removed Tim`s harnesses. The two horses rested in their make-shift stalls while the boys rested in the shade to enjoy a snack.

"It`s time we teach Lelouch how to ride and handle a horse." Gabriel declared midway.

"What? Why?"

"Think about it." Raphael butted in "I will be preparing the basic raw materials here, Gabriel will be assembling all of them for the cottage. So, it would be of great help if you could drive the cart-load through and fro."

"Besides" he continued "Soon, we will need to get supplies from the village near the base of the mountain. Instead of wasting away by just sitting in a corner all day-"

"Don`t you cry all the time wanting to do that?"

"-AS I was saying, it would be more productive if you could run small errands for us. I will be preparing the logs and _his highness_ here will be putting up the foundation and doing the building."

"I don`t want to do that!" Lelouch all but screeched.

"It`s that or I will double your exercise regime." The angelic raven-head said off-handedly. Earlier that morning Lelouch was rudely woken up by the said teenager who gently 'persuaded' to do some exercising to keep in shape or 'perish in the wayside' as put by his cheeky elder brother. (Un-) fortunately, this was going to feature in his daily routine.

His face was red in annoyance. His 'favorite' brother laughed as he took a bite into his sandwich. "The first step to be a better person is to take some responsibilities."

The face became redder, but now in shame. Reluctantly he put his head down and whispered "Fine…"

'Hmm….could you say it louder please? Hector was beckoning to me and I got distracted." The familiar tousled black hair suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Gah! I said I was okay with it!"

Lelouch`s lessons started the very next day when the elder noirette rose him up early from his slumber. First, were some basic warm up exercises which proved to be more of a hassle for the both of them-sparks flying and all-followed by a light jog for stamina improvement. Once this was done and the boy got his much needed rest, Raphael proceeded to help him mount Hector and consequently later, Tim. Both proved to be easy and docile as the lad started to take his baby steps towards his long training to come.

As time went by, things became smoother as the group fell into a steady rhythm. The initial 2 months went by with more time dedicated to the boy than the construction. Gabriel made the foundations and nit-picked the work quality of a very irritable Raphael. Once Lelouch could ride the horse without any help did the work was brought back into focus. Early in the morning, soon after morning warm-up, Raphael would walk to their make-shift work site. Later in the day, Gabriel would bring the cart with Hector while Lelouch would ride slightly ahead of him on Tim. It was clear that though both horses loved him, he still favored the midnight coated steed.

* * *

"Come here, do you want the demon to take you?" a mother whispered harshly at her child as the trio walked through the main street. They was only so much one could collect from the forest for sustenance, thus the trip to town. The welcome they received upon their entry was what the boy had expected and a whole lot more. Cold, hateful stares and hushed curses clotted the atmosphere with each step the 'family' made.

"What was the gatekeeper thinking?"

"He should have been sent down to the 7th pit of hell"

"Look at him cowering behind those fine souls."

"Maybe this is their atonement from their past sins."

Lelouch was horrified and afraid (he is chronologically and mentally 10 years old, with his memories intact). He had prepared himself from this mass rejection. He never anticipated that his brothers also would be subjected to the same treatment as him.

"Hmph, wonder what they did to top the demon himself!"

{"You were dead since your birth"}

{"What good is that cripple to the empire?"}

'Stop it' he silently pleaded them.

"Maybe they were his knight in secret like the traitor Kururugi"

{"You are a mistake that should be erased from this earth!"}

'Stop it! Say them all to me. Curse me, loathe me, but why defile my brothers.'

He looked up to see them having some idle chatter of thing`s they needed to get. They looked so…happy and overflowing in virtue. Why couldn`t these people see that? Didn`t they know that they were angels? Two of the three archangels, no less? How could-

"…louch? Lelouch!"

"Huh!" he turned his head about in confusion and terror only to see two concerned gazes directed to him.

"Are you alright? I was saying-"

The suffocation kept getting stronger at the increasing murmurs and dark, disapproving gazes sent his way. It seemed that all the ill being wished on him was actually taking root within him. His throat was being chocked…

Immediately, Raphael lifted him up and gestured Gabriel to go on. He made their way out of town where the horses were secured at the water trough. The boy trembling in his arms from the sheer animosity of the souls. As he clung on to the elder teen the noirette stroked his back with a soothing rhythm, whispering comforting into his ears. Of course, the onlookers looked aghast at the scene, but pleasing others were the last of his concerns to him.

"I`m sorry" he cuddled further into raven haired shoulder as they neared the trough.

"Don`t be. It was pretty awful in there."

They remained like this for a while until Lelouch slackened his grip. The older teen proceeded to seat them on a rickety bench set up and carefully propped the child next to him. The scenery outside was beautiful in contrast to the heavy, angry and almost evil atmosphere in the town.

"Aren`t you going to ask me what happened in there?"

"It is never good to force anything out of anybody. More often than none, it hurts either parties or one party extremely deeply. It is up to you to decide if you want to or not."

Saying this, the archangel got up, stretched a bit and went to tend the horses. Lelouch followed close behind him. They checked all the harnesses, belts and reins for any wear due to their journey. Once that was done, the gathered some grass to freshen them up for the journey back. The horses, spoiled by the attention they were receiving nudged their heads towards the two. Letting out a collective, exasperated sigh, they indulged their companions.

"Even though I said I would take all the hate of the world, I can`t do it. I cannot take any of that." Lelouch spoke up while he rubbed the smooth coat on Tim`s neck. "I could feel all the anger, hate and curses being hurled at me…."

He turned to see all eyes were on him, even those of the horses. The kind smile told him to go on "But what hurt me more was the fact they were speaking ill of you two. I mean… How can they do that? Don`t they know who you are?"

His hand fell to his side as tears welled in his eyes. "I know they have all right to judge me, but still…. I felt so…alone….sad…and…"

Gabriel who had just arrived, heard the little boy`s plight went on his knees to wipe out his tears "Has Peter, Mother or God judged you in harshness to your sins?"

"No, but…."

"If the supreme one of the universe, his mother and the gatekeeper have found you in no fault, then no one…not even the ones you have died through your actions… have any right to judge you. You have sincerely asked for forgiveness and it is granted to you"

He then touched the body just where the heart is placed, sacred light emitting from it "Their judgment is done looking at things from a collective experience of people present at the time. Real and true judgment is done on the entirety of the situation and always gives chance for redemption."

"You are given the most extraordinary of chance, lad" Raphael said from behind "Don`t mess it up. Don`t forget the past, learn from it and move on to the better path."

"And as for us being ill-spoken about" he huffed "Well, we are entities that cannot be comprehended. You may be among the few to see and feel us. Hence, our forms are unknown to many. So boohoo for them, only my little brother knows the true us."

"Remember in such cases, never choose indifference. Win them over!"

"Just don`t use the wrong means…"

"But how…?" the young child asked.

"That is for you to decide." How very helpful.

"Come on now, we have all the supplies necessary." the brunette mounted on his steed and lifted Lelouch onto the saddle.

"Finally, no more gathering and foraging like some nomads for a while!"

"Please, you still have to catch some fish." Lelouch smiled mischievously, his previous disposition having suddenly left him.

Must be something to do with a certain brother of his…

…either way the journey was fun as the 2 horses raced down the path towards home.

* * *

Thus, this exercise went on for a year. Lelouch would accompany them to the village to get some essentials. Each time he went, he would be met with the same hospitality as his first visit. If there was any upside, it seemed that it was of varying degrees with each visit (at least they muttered an apology if they forcefully brushed past him). This however wouldn`t and couldn`t extinguish the goodness in the child`s heart. He would help those in need only to get spat at, give a cheery greeting to all those who cursed him. Well, only the grown-ups behaved like the self-righteous people they were. The children started to warm up to him and do small things (give him a bit of candy, have small talk with him, share their new 'toys' they got etc.) that made each trip worth it. In turn, his brothers would generously show their thanks in form of words or deeds.

* * *

The sun shone brightly down the road as Lelouch brought Hector to a halt in the pasture area near the town. He absently fiddled with the gypsy`s hair as he waited for his friend Adrian to meet up with him. The boy was around 16 years of age and was the first among the kids to befriend him. Over time, every trip meant something to look forward to as the duo went through many (mis)adventures together. They had planned this little 'getaway' for quite some time now with the raven-head getting the necessary permission. Well…even the weather was on their side today. He lifted his head up from what he was doing when he heard the footsteps of another stead.

"Hey, won`t the elders not allow you to enter town?" Lelouch pulled his horse away as Adrian nudged his horse closer towards his pal. The concern was legitimate. After all, the folks still were apathetic toward him….

Adrian just shrugged it off "It`s not like I care too much about it. They still have preconceived notions that you are here to overthrow God etc etc. I need a break from all that...nonsense. It`s not like my family is here. Ergo, no problems." He motioned his Mustang into a light gallop as he took the lead to their destination.

Lelouch took some-time to take hold of Hector`s reins as the horse already seemed to follow the other. From the back, the boy seemed lonely despite the number of friends he had. Adrian death was unfortunate. He happened to be accompanying his younger siblings to an ice-cream shop when a drunk driver whirred his car towards the merry group. He managed to push his siblings away in time but, in turn became the target for the wayward bullet…

…He was proclaimed dead on the spot. He rarely ever spoke about his family to him, but they never failed to bring out his old sorrows he had deep within him. Lelouch knew better than go down that thread of conversation as their horses matched paces with one another. Unlike him however, he never pushed away his friends. Instead, he embraced company to keep him going till he could be reunited with his family.

"So… where are we going?" the raven head asked his companion.

"It`s a secret." Adrian said with a smile. He cracked the reins of his horse and let it burst into a full gallop.

"Hey! Come back here" and soon Hector too was thundering down the path behind his fellow racer. Dust rose from the intense race as horse refused to relent, with their charges egging them on. The air was filled with deliberate taunting and fun as the path-way meandered just by the woods. Neither of the horses seemed to want to lose to the other.

"I have finally found you!" a dark voice ghosted through the woods that the boys just thundered past a particularly thick patch of trees.

"So you bring me all the way out here to see this wonderful sight?" it would seem that the sarcasm was still very much present in the 11 year old soul.

"Quit the whining, princess." The older teen huffed as he dismounted his horse. Taking the reins, he beckoned to Hector to follow his lead to a nearby tree. The gypsy happily obliged the teen despite his young master`s orders to go elsewhere.

The place of interest happened to be a secret tree house that children over the ages made in the forest. It was securely perched on the sturdy branches of the giant oak of the forest. Lelouch was told that it held the spirit and essence of each child that put all their emotions in it through the time and that nourished the oak and in turn he forest. Of course, it was a story among the kids only. Legend of the land however said that the place is a piece of heaven which the divine allowed the innocents to build in the realm as a beacon to others. As it stood, it was their meeting, get to gather, sleep-over and camping spots wrapped in one. Often, even the adults and elders came there to hold small festivals and parties.

"Really, learn to appreciate the simple things of life." Adrian sighed out as he finally placed the last knot to secure their horses while they were away for some 'recreation'.

"Except, we are all dead." The raven head dead-panned

"Okay, then make it after-life. Sheesh, I can`t imagine how you are like this when you have such wonderful siblings."

"Whatever" a small sly smile crept on the youth`s face. He actually rather enjoyed this constant bickering and bantering with the elder teen. Having done their bidding, Adrian assisted his compatriot with the overly large hamper prepared for the both of them and carried it out to their rendezvous.

It wouldn`t be long before this little haven would be torn down….

Hector thundered down the path with as much speed as his form could muster. His young master could barely sit properly on his saddle or properly hold onto his reins. In spite of his ragged state, Lelouch desperately did his best to secure the unconscious body of Adrian who was slumped behind him. It was a miracle that he managed to mount the raven head and himself while sustaining more physical damage. As the wind whisked passed them as each passing moment, it also meant the steady slackening of the already loose grip on his reins. Praying for forgiveness once again, Hector spread out his wings and roared through the skies ever faster towards the cabin of the archangels. They were the only ones at this moment, who could save both the boys from immortal danger.

* * *

Ruins….That was all he could see around him. Tokyo, Pendragon….The world around him was literally lit up by fire and destruction. There he was sprinting down the Imperial Street of Pendragon with whatever little strength he possessed. He could vaguely make out the carnage of the royal transport which carried his dearest ones…twisted and destroyed….He had to save them at all cost…

He managed to pull out his sister`s frail form and the sturdy knight who took the full brunt of the explosion, half of his other body crushed under the sheer weight of the automobile.

He was too late…Nunnally breath her last, making him promise to set right of the wrong`s she had done. Suzaku too comforted in his dying hour as his hand went limp in the young emperor`s grasp…

"What use are you, oh great king?" A disembodied voice rang through the skies.

"I didn`t-"

"And now you resort denial? What hath thou reduced thyself?"

"I tried to save them all" he wailed back, emotions incomprehensible coursing through him.

"Well" the voice was now just near his ear "I thank you for your negligence, your majesty." The voice sneered

"NOOO!" Lelouch screamed awake, his breath ragged and his whole body quaking in fear. A pair of strong, familiar arms wrapped around him just as he was amount to fall from the bed.

"Easy there, you wounds have just been healed. We wouldn`t want to cause more damage than already is, right?" Gabriel held the boy`s shoulders firmly to prevent him from doing anything hasty in his current state. After he had sufficiently recovered from his shock, he helped Lelouch back into his bed and sat by his side.

"Adrien..?"

"In the other room resting, Raphael is just doing a once over with him. Unfortunately for him, the damage is more to his soul than physical."

Lelouch closed his eyes, trying to recollect what happened. If only he could have helped Adrien when the other had pushed him away from the attack of that…that monster. It even destroyed the oak tree… all because of his presence….

"How is our little champ doing?" the door opened to reveal the other teen on the doorway.

"Hmm…between trying to rest and self-loathing, I think it is the latter."

"Brother!"

"Alright!" he put up his hand in mock surrender "I will not trouble you any further." he then turned towards Raphael "How is he?"

"The contamination was minor. He just needs a night of rest to recover from the day`s events."

"Well, then things seem to be stable." He got up from his place by the bedside "Look after Lelouch for a while, I will make some dinner for the boys."

"Well, looks like you will have to deal with me for now, kiddo." He made himself comfortable of the stool near the bedside. The silence that was met by the statement was understandable. Lelouch was still looking shell-shocked at the ceiling. And Raphael could hear each and every one of those thoughts going through his mind. Sighing, he rested his hand on his head.

"Hey, don`t be so hard on yourself. It wasn`t your fault." His voice low and gentle. Lelouch couldn't help but turn towards him and curl himself up, taking the hand in his grasp a if it were his lifeline.

"It was so scary… and it kept saying it was pleased with my handiwork. And…and…"

"Hush, rest awhile. Don`t think of it anymore. Gabriel is setting up a delicious dinner for us. Think of all the good things that happened today."

He managed to nudge some of the happier memories of the day into the forefront and mercifully, Lelouch didn`t try to repress them with his fear.

Looks like the time for preparation had to begin. The narrow path which the boy embarked on was about to get narrower.

"A fallen angel?" Lelouch was the first to recover his voice back as the archangel`s explained the events of the previous day to them. The boys had rested through the night and were waiting for breakfast which was being set up for them.

"Man…I heard about it in the town market. Traders were all gossiping about it and I thought it was just a stupid rumor to frighten kids from going in there." Adrien smacked his head at his stupidity.

"Well, it is a skill to differentiate between useful and idle chatter." Gabriel poured out some tea into their glasses and made himself comfortable at the head of the table.

"I`m pretty sure you know about them, but still I will explain the matter." He went on seeing the confusion present on Lelouch`s face. "Creation can be classified in 3 wide groups. Those with no person, but with relative intelligence and body, these include all animals. Then there is us, divine beings with person and intelligence of utmost perfection, but no bodies. Finally, there are humans, with all three attributes. They are the only non-divine beings to know that they know and question their existence. As such, you all hold a special place in among all creation."

He waited a while for all of this to sink into their minds. As if on cue, Raphael brought out the lavish meal. He served them all and sat across his counterpart on the table. The two then took turns to explain the finer details of the piece of history which was brought before them.

"You guys were lucky Hector was there with you. If not, I don`t know how you to would have fended for yourself."

"That reminds me, how did Hector actually manage to defeat the fallen angel?" Adrien mused out aloud.

"Being a divine beast, he has no form in this realm. As such, he had to assume a form which you all could comprehend. In this case, a horse. It has its benefits actually!" The beast`s companion supplied "It would seem that he reverted into his true form to protect you two during the attack. I pity that thing, she must have all but vanished. Though, he does have some rules to follow"

"He, you meant earlier" Lelouch mischievously supplied.

"All right, _he!_ Happy now?" a low grumble was emitted towards the boy.

"Very much, thanks to you"

"Anyway Lelouch, you rest a bit in the house. I will see Adrien back to town." Gabriel put down his cup and proceeded to fetch his coat.

"There`s no need for that" said boy abruptly stood up to protest "I have troubled you all enough-OUCH! What was that for?"

"It is not any trouble to have you here" Lelouch was mad for some reason "Not after forcing you to show your little getaway."

"I agree. You don`t even have any means to transport to be in town before sunset."

"Yeah, but-"

"Besides, supplies for the house are running low thanks to a certain someone." An awkward cough was heard from across the table "So I am on route to town either way."

Reluctantly he agreed and quickly shoveled down his breakfast earning an amused smirk from Raphael and a heated glare from Lelouch for the lack of table manners. As he was getting ready to leave, he noticed a hint of sadness behind those amethyst eyes.

"Don`t look so glum, chum" Adrien smacked the younger boy on his back "Next time I will thoroughly research any destination before we do a getaway. Maybe we can go on an investigative tour too!"

"Why do I sense trouble already?" it was endearing to see the younger boy pinch the bridge of his nose.

"My middle name happens to be that." Giving his goofy smile he thanked his hosts for their hospitality and disappeared into the thicket with the cart and his companion.

* * *

"I have finally found you, oh king!" the fallen angel cackled as the binds around Lelouch's limbs tightened. Despite that, he refused to cease his struggling.

"What do you want from me?"

"My, such anger isn`t befitting of his young majesty." He came closer as he pretty harshly grabbed hold of his chin and examined the face as if it were a piece of trash.

"Honestly, from the outside you are nothing but a dandy kid." Suddenly, his head started splitting. From the depths of his consciousness, howls and groans of countless people resounded within his being. It was tearing his body apart. He then felt his body tossed in the air and come crashing down to the ground.

"But the inside." He licked his lips as he traced the curve of his face "Such a wonderfully dark interior. Filled with every imaginable dark deed. It is so hard pressed to get a soul like yours. Indeed, you will do well for our cause."

Lelouch screamed and howled as the wretched being tugged him along the path. He did not know where he was going, but he found himself awakened in the arms of Raphael, similar to his morning episode.

"Seriously, you should stop doing things like that. I may be an archangel, but there are limits to my power in any realm!" he said in a panicked voice.

"Why, why is he after me, big brother? Every time I sit in silence or lay down to rest, he invades my mind. He brings back every dark thought, memory and deed I have ever felt." He crawled closer into the warmth and security of the healer. "Worse, he makes me want to embrace the evil and come over his side…"

"There….let it all out…" Raphael effortlessly lifted the weeping boy into his embrace and walked about the room- just like calming a baby. All the while he hummed a tune and pushed his mind to take it`s much deserved rest. he didn`t leave the boy`s company even after placing him back in bed. He could feel a foreign darkness creep back into the boy`s head and swiftly squashed them. A sigh escaped the great healer`s lips as he waited for Gabriel return. The kid was more broken then any living person had cared and he hoped that now since the time was near, it wouldn`t shatter him further.

"Why do you come to me, oh Prince of the upper realm?" the fallen angel spat as he was held down by the sheer power of Gabriel.

"It was agreed that your kind would only be allowed in this realm provided you do not set forth your powers." He said calmly as he walked up to him.

In his frustration, the fallen one used all of his powers to attack him. Be it telepathic, force fields, weapons of various kinds or dark magic. All of them were nullified or broken through by the Archangel.

"Damn you, heirs of light!" he let out all the magic within his being at his opponent, forming a huge orb that engulfed the entire forest, destroying the whole place. When he had finally recovered, Gabriel was still walking towards him…unscathed while the entire place reforged itself back to its glory.

"I have much better things to do then deal with this madness. Tell me, why are you after the boy?"

"Oh, you should know better than that great one!" he said with a dark chuckle "The boy`s experiences and innermost fears make him ideal for master`s work."

"So you invade his mind and those of the other children in the realm for that?"

The smile was misplaced in the situation as he tilted his head a bit "You know, kids are so easy to manipulate. Their dark inner desires stemming from the actions of adults. Their minds so easy to sway." He looked straight at Gabriel. "Perfect for our master`s ideal. Especially that one."

"So tell me, Prince of heaven. What are you going to do?"

"What I have always done." Gabriel lifted his arm and banished the fallen angel to the depths of hades.

"Disrupt Lucifer`s plans."

As he walked away, the grand oak was standing once again. The little beacon now rested upon its branches with even greater splendor.

* * *

It was evening when the little household gathered on the table to discuss the events of the day in greater detail to the youth. The fallen ones, beasts of death, the reason of the realms, all were told as simply as they could. In all sincerity, they would have preferred to have this conversation when he was around 14 years old. But circumstances dictated otherwise. They kept it simple with a promise to explain more about it later.

"So…does that mean God created evil?" Lelouch asked innocently after much was explained to him.

"No champ." The great healer declared "His plans may seem crazy to you, but he NEVER created evil."

"All that we have just spoken about has happened just before recorded time." Raphael went on "Different religions speak of this differently, but this was what happened. Angels were never given the birthright to be in heaven, we were created just before the universe was being set, with our own free will to decide what to choose. As we observed all the things that had been done with such perfection, two factions had developed among us. Those who chose to be live under God`s mercy-who wished for peaceful co-existence of all creation- and those under Lucifer-former archangel and current devil-who believed they were superior to all living things and thus, had the sovereign right to rule what he called, 'lower creatures'. As such, they wanted to be equals with God. However, they were still kept by our side and all of us were given permission to enter heaven before we finally decided our fate. We can say, pride-for refusing to accept love and goodness-and envy-they prized their divine beatitude- was the root to the evil which took hold of them."

"The true escalation of matters happened with the creation of sentient beings, namely man" Gabriel sipped his tea to give a meaningful break "Man was made in the image of the divine, we were made in the spirit of the divine." He chuckled a bit at the cute expression the boy made to express his confusion.

"Have you seen the Russian dolls?" he received a nod to this

"People consist of 2 bodies, physical appearance and the spirit. As such, they are given a free will different from us. Our natural forms are ethereal and intangible to people, though we take a physical form from time to time to interact with others."

"In short, this duality of sorts was a huge contradiction in the eyes of the 'perfect' ones. Perfection from the imperfect? Add to the fact that equality among the two realms of creation was established, ripped our brothers even further apart. The rest…as they say is history."

"Do these attacks happen often here?"

"Let`s just say…the temptation to sin here is a bit more persuasive here."

"You will be a particular target for them, Lelouch" The brunette said "After all, you are the chosen protector of earth. The Knight for the world."

"Put more grandly" the raven head went on "it can be said you are the _King of Knights_."

* * *

 **I`m back! Sorry for the slack period. This chapter was difficult to write and semesters were not of any help. This is just part of the grand scheme of things to come. Lelouch has finally got to know his purpose, how will the Archangels bring about his transformation?**

 **Thanks for all the reviews and words of encouragement!**

 **As always, constructive criticism is welcome and reviews as well**

 **I hope you enjoy this story and hope for your further support.**

 **And as I always end these notes,**

 **Enjoy!**


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter 8**_

Suzaku sighed within the as he was getting ready for day which lay ahead of him. It had been a week since the fiasco at the Ebisu-Jude society. The damage and devastation inflicted by 'The League' had mostly been cleared. The corpse of Fredric was found beneath the rubble of the administrative buildings while that of Hugo wasn`t found. The special police and the Black knight`s declared him as a casualty of cross-fire. But his gut told him otherwise.

He dismissed the thought, as he got ready for the meeting he would be having once again with the government of Japan. Apparently, Ohgi convened it on an emergency basis and Zero-the soul of the nation-had to be present. He finally put on the iconic mask of freedom, greeted his security escort (Kallen and Tohdoh) and made his way to his personal transport, a Toyota century. He mentally chuckled at the sight of the vehicle sent by the Japanese cabinet. Nearly a decade ago, it was his father`s personal transport which had been gifted to the Kururugi`s by the last emperor. Life indeed had come back a full circle.

As the V-12 engine purred along with its dignitaries, Zero looked out on the streets. From his experience during the war years, he could definitely pick up the tension looming in the city air. Trust and confidence had been torn. The only consolation was they weren`t shattered.

Well, he hoped this meeting would help fix up the tear.

* * *

"I cannot carry on with this motion." Ohgi stated outright as he flung the offending piece of paper across the table. "Do you realize the implications of this move? That too, after we decided to be patient? Already the Empress has decided to maintain a healthy diplomatic distance to hasten the recovery process."

"Your concerns are legitimate, prime minister." The minister of external affairs stated calmly "But the young Empress`s proclamation has done nothing but glitter and pretty up the situation to their advantage on the global scale. The people on the ground are fed up of this. They are tired of being seen as being seen on a crutch-on Britannia no less. They see this as an opportunity to assert themselves, not rely on another`s benevolence. They want the matter to be dealt with a firm hand."

Ohgi laid an even and challenging gaze at the majority faction of the ministers who stood against him. "So you believe you can 'provide' that firm hand by doing this?"

"It is the people`s will that has given us this power, _prime minister._ And I think for once, a little less compliance towards them would well assert that we are not a banana republic." The challenge was clearly met by his opponents.

At that moment, the screen beeped to signal an incoming transmission. On the interior minister`s permission, a black-haired man appeared along with lady Kaguya on the screen.

"Chairperson Sumeragi, Vice-chairperson Smilas, I wasn`t aware of your presence in the cabinet's meeting today." Ohgi bowed his head in deference at the two persons on the screen.

"Your group of ministers had approached us with a plea to act as the mediating and binding body in the matter. Thus, our presence is necessary." The bass voice of the veteran general rang through the room.

A visibly displeased frown appeared on the former black knight`s face.

"I wish not to belittle your attendance, but the matter is an internal one and barely even needs on the UFN`s involvement. This is a matter of ironing out some issues and shortcomings of the government."

"On the contrary, the topics listed in the agenda very much make it our matter." The emerald eyed lady voiced with visible displeasure. "You should know better, Ohgi. After all the UFN draft was done with your consultancy also."

"But…" Ohgi trailed of as he met some knowing smirks in the crowd before him.

"Didn't you get the memo, Prime minister?" The treasury secretary asked a bit too innocently. He turned around as the murmurs brew louder, and ordered the room to silence. Fortunately, they listened to him and took their seats in anticipation for Zero`s arrival.

As the members waited, the former school teacher held his hands together in despair and wondered how he had missed to signs which would have allowed him to prevent this crisis.

* * *

Zero had been through enough situations during his entire life span to read the situation from the atmosphere in the room. The one he got as he and his guards got as they entered wasn`t at all thick.

It was downright cold and could still the very life force within a person…

"I didn`t expect your attendance in today`s briefing." He stated to the figures on the screen after he greeted the standing gathering and took his place.

"Circumstances demands for such appearances." The veteran general said simply, lacking any hint of emotion.

"I hope Japan finds you well, Zero. It has been a long time." Well, Kaguya made up for the emotions part…

"It has, Chairwoman. However, I think we have more pressing matters to discuss other than exchange pleasantries." The council took this as their cue and settled down into their designated spots. Ohgi wearily stood up from his seat to start of the proceedings.

"The council has gathered today to discuss the following matters of public interest and national security.

a)The fallout of the attack on the society

b)Our ties with Britannia.

c)Affairs related to said nation.

d)Structural reshuffle.

The council will discuss each of the above matters until a solution is found."

With that, Ohgi took his seat and the council was finally under way. Things went smoothly with the first topic, the defense, internal affairs and finance ministries would pool their manpower together to create joint covert task forces. They would be centered in every major city to monitor any potential terror activity, carry out surveillance, covert regulation and neutralization-if necessary. To facilitate the process, a section of black knight`s would be sanctioned to them-on request-for potentially dangerous operations and intelligence acquisition. Zero did point out that this didn't take care of sleeper cells within the country side. The internal affairs minister gently pointed out their role to expand once the city networks were in place.

Ohgi was nervous as they were on the verge of striking of the first objective on their agenda. He felt so….so…helpless and cheated. The ministers were mainly former aristocrats that were in favor of the former Kami (Japanese Emperor) and Genbu Kururugi. Naturally, they felt the need to take power from the 'common people' and reclaim the shogunate. The worst part was, they did it in the most innocuously cunning manner-right under his nose. It was little trouble to play with the people`s sentiments and rally support.

"Are we clear with this, prime minister?" The question brought him out of his stupor. Taking his lack of response as an okay, they moved unto the dreaded topic.

"With that cleared; let us now review our foreign policy." The defense minister said as he leaned back into his chair. Zero noticed shift in the atmosphere, which was even more tangible as was the pale face Ohgi was wearing. At that moment Tohdoh take a step closer towards his seat. The man was more adept at this matters and Suzaku silently thanked his lucky stars that he too perceived the mood.

"What part of our relationship are we referring to?" Zero asked the said man.

"Every single aspect of them will be reviewed, Zero-sama. These include economic involvement, ties with respect to healthcare, monetary issues… and diplomatic relations."

"Britannia has taken adequate measures to protect our nation during the fiasco, what more is there to be done?" Ohgi voiced, a bit of anger laced in his tone.

"Correction, they have done all the measures necessary to protect their interest in our nation." The finance minister answered.

"What do you mean by that?" Tohdoh interjected.

The man pushed his spectacles into a more comfortable position. "Due to the circumstances of our liberation, the finances of the Japan were concentrated in a few households of influence or frozen by the UFN, to prevent the misuse. Am I correct, lady Kaguya?"

"Indeed you are. The Shino-Britannia trust was set up to check the finances. Britannia-by obligation-was coerced to help you all."

"Thank you…now…As I was saying. Therein lays the issue. Zero with your permission." This took the masked man by surprise. He had insisted them to act freely about him, yet many reverted to their old mannerism out of respect. The man here didn't believe all that. Nevertheless, he nodded him to continue.

The man brought up a series of images on the screen and relayed them to their televised guests. "After the incident, the Japanese government had asked the military to carry a follow up sortie in the area after the clean-up operation. These are the images that were taken by them." He then narrowed them down to a few of the images "And these are from the mansions and administrative block of our foreign counterparts. Look closely at the circled sections."

The zoomed in sections shocked 4 persons in that room. They were slightly blurry, but the silhouette was unmistakable, they were skeletons of a heavy armored knightmare frames.

"It would seem our friends were waiting for an opportunity for invasion 2.0"

"Further we managed to get to extract the lab data in which these frames were kept." The defense minister supplemented and more reports and data flooded the screen. "They have been code-named 'Robins', an advanced cavalry unit with short flight ability as well as micro-drones to survey the area. From what we have gathered, it is a refinement of the Vincent`s and Alexander`s distilled into a single frame."

"That is impossible; we had combed that place and the surrounding area 3 times over." Kallen stated fiercely. "Such a thing wouldn`t have gotten past us!"

"That is the reason why some members were asked to resign from their post. They just are too old to see the clues. Aren't I right, Tohdoh-dono?"

Said man remained impassive to the comment, though it stung a little to be vacated of his post for some mere child to protect Japan.

"That may be so, but what does this have to do with are ally? There is no link between what you have said and what you have presented."

"You mean our enemy. Britannia hasn`t had a change of heart yet-"

"Are you implying that Zero hasn`t being doing his job?" Kaguya hissed between her teeth.

"I apologize if that is what I implied. Let me state it outright. Lord Zero didn't neglect his duties. He has been deceived all this while by only focusing on the empress`s actions-"

"How dare you-" She all but roared, Gen. Salamis however reigned her back urging him to continue.

"As I was saying, the leader may be good-there is no doubt, given Zero`s guarantee. It is the people who work under her-the backbone of the system-that are corrupt. And, as sad as it is too say, most of the citizens are the same and are not so 'welcoming'."

"If I recall correctly, the racial crime rate is at 6% compared to other crimes. Moreover, the persistence of these crimes is due to the still radicalized factions among _our_ people." Tohdoh argued.

"Of all crime" the finance minister persisted "75% of the convicted in theft cases confess of britannian origin, 90% of riots are caused, stirred or even instigated locals to do so by their presence…the list goes on…Unrest-which had been growing for quite some time now-has intensified all over the company, food production is low due to lack of land or vertical spaces, employment rate isn`t improving due to a certain country getting preferential treatment over others and the god-damn yen is not even strengthening!"

"Leaving aside the last point, what are you getting at?" Zero asked. Internally, Suzaku wanted to catch the man by his collar and knock some sense into him. "The reasons you have stated above isn`t due to external interference. From what I see of the situation, it is a backlash of sorts due the negligent implementation of incentives, schemes and overall planning from our end."

"With all due respect" The man hissed between his teeth "What do you know of the ground situation?"

"Excuse me?" Zero challenged silently as he remained seated.

"Gentlemen, calm down. Getting into an argument will not help resolve anything." Ohgi interjected.

"Oh shut up! Other than fighting, what do you-" he instantly kept quiet when he felt a hand grasp his shoulder.

"Let us not put ourselves in any hasty situation now." Tohdoh all but commanded the defiant man as he shrugged of the arm and took his seat.

"So let me try and understand this, you are saying the Britannians are the active and passive cause of the troubles." Gen, Salamis interjected.

"People don`t forget what they have gone through, general. They wish to return to the 'conquerors' the same treatment that they meted out on them, with interest. As I mentioned before and repeat once again, the Britannian populace`s continual stay here isn`t helping matters. Due to rumors or what they have 'observed', the Japanese believe that all jobs, food shortages etc are their doing and some alternate form of takeover. They then decide to strike back to deter any such action. It is with all these situations taken into consideration that the cabinet has decided to pass the following motions.

a)The deportation of all Britannians back to their homeland.

b)Cut all ties with the said country till further notice.

These 2 resolutions will be now put to vote."

"This is preposterous." Kallen roared "The sensitization programs have been found to be a success in Hokkaido and Tokyo city. I have yet to hear such an extreme case of violence. Is this an excuse to for political posturing?"

"Are you sure of that?" the minister continued "Just a week ago, a cosmopolitan settlement near Izumo, which included 200 Britannian families was burned to the ground."

"What?" the 4 members of the group said in unison.

"While we were all focused on external damage control, a mob was brewing up near the settlement. Eventually, taking advantage of the administrative chaos, they did what they had set to do." He then clicked he remote which cleared all prior images and technical jargon. In their palace came revolting images of death, torture and carnage. The town-hall was filled by skeletons-female one, according to forensics-all huddled near the door which was secured from the outside. Outside, male skeletons ranging from 30-86 years of age were found, half burnt-peeled back flesh and desperation in their eyes. It seemed both groups of adults were trying to move towards a particular spot. The next image finally answered the skewed puzzle.

Directly in front of these groups, in the town square were some more bodies in similar state of decay. All except, these were much smaller, were bound to multiple metal and concrete structures by their limbs and amongst this were many semi-destroyed toy cars, dolls and other such stuff.

These belonged to the children, aged 1-18 years of age.

"We had reports coming from all over the country from that day. But none of them were as bad as, as brutal this one." He finished and turned to the masked hero. "To make matters worse, the perpetrators are at large."

"Zero, I-no, we all know that the resolution that we are proposing is inhumane and insensitive. But please consider these events before coming to a conclusion. Our people do not trust them and it is a burden on our resources to sustain such a liability. It is analogous of us holding onto a time-bomb near its 10 second countdown."

"How come I never got a notice of this?" Zero`s voice was strained, despite the modulator.

"I guess the information got lost in transit." Someone said cryptically.

"Has human life really been reduced to a number on a sheet that can be lost so easily?" Ohgi asked, despair clear in his stance and speech. He just missed the knowing glances being sent all around the table.

"If nothing else, we are saving these people as well as our own." The man went on. He then turned to the screens "Does the UFN have any objections?"

"…." Kaguya had no response on the matter.

"I deem it you know the situation well, proceed without any further objections." The veteran general conveyed.

"Hold on." His Japanese equivalent interrupted "How can the UFN wash their hands from this? Isn`t this an international issue?"

"This is a humanitarian matter between two nations. The UFN will only interfere if there are hostilities, illegal takeover, aggression etc from an external agent. I would presume you knew, considering you were also part of the drafting committee?"

The 'man of miracles' nodded silently; he had no choice but to back down now. He looked towards Zero, knowing he had the final say in the matter.

"Very well….Carry on the vote. I will brief the empress on the matter after this meeting." The voice sounded weary even through the mask. His posture was stiff and if anyone noticed, he bridged his hands together with much more force than necessary. His mind was anything but static as un-coherent thoughts zoomed through it without allowing him to process on any. It was after sometime in his state of suspended animation that a singular thought left him totally cold and heart-wretched….

All their sacrifices, hurt and effort were _really_ in vain….

* * *

As time passed by after the successful vote in favor of the ministers, the atmosphere in the room gradually turned electric, heated and full of animosity. At present, the room clearly contained 2 factions, the black knights with the PM on one end and the rest of the cabinet on the other. Accusations were found in plenty, floating in the air; logic and debate were hard at work, trying to back up the accusations. And the politicians were winning this very comfortably. They had passed another immigrant bill and formally announcement that Japan had nothing to do with the Britannians. In the last hour, they managed to prove that the attack on the society was deliberate, presenting decrypted data from the lab as proof of the involvement of a few powerful people within the Britannian government. With this in place, they petitioned the UFN to slap sanctions on their 'enemy' for deliberate reach of sovereignty and acts of terrorism against the global state.

Lady Kaguya acknowledged the petition, stating that the discussion on the matter and a subsequent vote would be held within the fortnight. With that, the UFN attendees took their leave.

Now the most chilling and pertaining matter was to be put on vote.

"Should Lord Zero remain as one among us?" The secretary to the state read out as the final matter of discussion.

"WHAT TRICK IS LEFT UP YOUR SLEEVES?" Kallen all but roared as she stood up from her seat-which was now, a victim to gravity. "HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHO SAVED YOU ALL FROM THE DEMON? AND YOU'RE SO CALLED 'CONQUEROR'? WHO FREED OUR COUNTRY? HUH?" from there, it was more noise and chaos. Even Tohdoh decided to add his 2 yen into the matter. In the end, everyone spoke to everyone and no one heard anyone

"ENOUGH!" Zero icy voice all but silenced the whole gathering and turned his gaze towards his aides, gesturing them to calm down. He then turned his hidden but not unimaginably furious glare towards the defiant ministers, who took that as their cue to be seated.

"Let us all talk about this in a rational manner. From what I see it, it would seem that you all are implying I have connived with them to cause harm, am I correct?"

"You have not heard it from our mouth, Zero. We are merely conveying what the people on the street utter on a daily basis. You are not there in Japan for more than a few days." Hypocrisy, thy name is that man over there, Suzaku thought in grave distaste.

"From what I recall, it was the council who asked Zero to act as a moderator of sorts of all britannian activity within their territory." Ohgi stated.

"That is the problem; people have lost faith in him. They see him as being allured by the royal family." The man remained adamant, seeing no logic or reason in his arguments.

"That`s absurd-" The masked leader put up his hand to stop his trusted teacher.

"It is known that you do not belong to anyone, Zero. You declared this ever since you first appeared. But the Japanese do not see it that way. In their time of oppression, you guided them and mobilized them. You protected them…you know what I mean" he said, not wanting to beat around the bush "They see you as an embodiment of their spirit and power. In short, they believe you are a part of them and thus, _belong_ to them. Being in the land of their oppressors was bound to have them feel a little hurt. Over time, as you kept standing by the side of the empress it grew into betrayal and now, they see you as turning a blind eye to the evil being conspired and afflicted on them."

"We are sorry to say this, but due to circumstances it has to be done." The smirk on the face was telling of many things more to come.

"You are not needed here anymore, Zero."

The room erupted in utter chaos, but the internal minister persisted on.

"You may have saved us Zero, but you are longer one of us." Ohgi pressed the emergency button to allow the guards to enter. Very soon, the guards had their hands full, trying to keep the 2 factions from tearing the other apart.

"You are a fighter, not an administrator. A ronin who has lost all purpose and sense of duty" someone spat towards Zero.

"TAKE THAT BACK"

"All you can do is scheme and fight. You do not know your own people any longer. You are not one of us."

None of the insults seemed to faze the person in question. After a while, Zero got up of his seat and ordered his security detail to accompany him as he exited the room. As he was leaving, the 'council'-what remained of it-passed the resolution for his removal, procedure be damned. It would seem that something else was cooking up, but he wasn`t interested in that. He could tell his sensei to use his contacts and fill him on the situation on a later date.

As he walked down the airy corridors, he still was reeling under the shock of today`s events. Even if was known as the 'white grim reaper', death was still a sacred and genocide was indigestible and he dare say-unimaginable. To add more salt in his wounds, all of this happened under his watch. His mind was still unsettled with all that happened. No, it was not because of how he was treated by them, but how evil and man dark side still flourished, despite the chance to improve upon themselves.

Was pride and nationalism worth more than a human life?

Was hatred of the past really more important than lives of a family?

Was the innocence of a child worth nothing in this new world of 'peace'?

He desperately tried to answer these questions through Kallen`s constant grumbling and anger-talk. Tohdoh just sent scrutinizing gazes towards both of them, signaling them to keep themselves together. Suzaku shrugged his head a bit, thankful that they allowed the war veteran to be the candidate to represent the black knights in the government (courtesy a certain red-haired woman).

As silence finally descended on the three of them, Zero reclined his seat a bit. If anything, it was a bit more comfortable to fight of his inner demons like so.

'Am I really no longer wanted?' He posed the question to himself. Despite external appearances, the statement had stung much more than he would have liked it.

Well, he was the emotional type. Lelouch had pointed….

He should stop thinking on those lines.

As the occupants went through the various events of the day, The Century effortlessly glided down the road, doing its job as well as it could.

There are perks of being an inanimate object.

* * *

 _Misericordes sicut Pater!_

 _Misericordes sicut Pater!_

The music poured through the sound system that was hidden from plain sight in the nearly empty complex. In this stillness, 3 persons came running down the vacant corridor, out of breath and desperate to accomplish their task.

"Where are the intruders?" One of the Swiss guards frantically asked his comrade via the headset. Tonight-as things stood-was the worst night ever encountered in the entire history of the Swiss guards and the Italian army. Their casual approach and follow-up to papal policies and self-serving along with not taking shared intelligence seriously had come to bite them in the back.

It was mid-evening, the same day when a group of terrorist entered the holy city. No sooner did they enter did they announce their presence. Within 2 hours, three of the four major basilicas were razed down to the ground by bombings during the evening angelus. This was followed by similar attacks on surrounding churches and their neighborhoods. As it stood, around three-fourth of the clergy were 'executed'. The cat and mouse chase continued between security forces and the terrorists, until they reached their destination, St. Peter`s basilica. Despite of the dire situation, his holiness instructed to clear the city of all the populace. He would remain within the church, being the bait to hold against the enemy for as long as he could.

That way, the faithful would out of the line of fire.

 _Rendiamo grazie al Padre, perché è buono_

 _in aeternum misericordia eius_

 _ha creato il mondo con sapienza_

 _in aeternum misericordia eius_

 _conduce il Suo popolo nella storia_

 _in aeternum misericordia eius_

 _perdona e accoglie i Suoi figli_

 _in aeternum misericordia eius_

"They are on western corridor. Alpha and beta squad is being sent to your positions." The burly Italian officer said over the headset. Immediately, the soldier set up his scan systems to check his surroundings.

"We will need them down here soon. They are going towards the Sistine Chapel!" he said hurriedly and he rushed towards the said direction.

"Maintain your position." The commander ordered. "Gamma squad is already dispatched to their location. Take the squads assigned to you and protect his YAAA!-"

"Commander?! Commander! Come in." The soldier frantically cried. He was met with the shrill silence that pierced the little courage he had.

"Matre Dieu! What have we done to deserve this?" he wept silently as he pressed his hands n the little statue his mother gave for protection. He had to return safe to her. After all he had promised her a surprise the next day.

Taking in whatever strength he could from the statue, he went forth quietly to take control of the necessary tasks ahead

 _Rendiamo grazie al Figlio, luce delle genti_

 _in aeternum misericordia eius_

 _ci ha amati con un cuore di carne_

 _in aeternum misericordia eius_

 _da Lui riceviamo, a Lui ci doniamo_

 _in aeternum misericordia eius_

 _il cuore si apra a chi ha fame e sete_

 _in aeternum misericordia eius_

The pope stood out on the balcony looking over the city and the chaos that ensued. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath; meditating on the music spilling from his room He had just finished coordinating the last of the civilians out of the city gates into the Italian territory. As he was awaiting the final all clear signal from his troops, he heard the being which was within his room move toward him.

"In the foreground, a city that falls into the darkness. Meanwhile, the background is haunted by a hymn. Oh! The irony" The feminine voice said.

"Your sense of humor is twisted." He replied as he opened his eyes. "From what I recall, this city has until the duration of the hymn to remain intact. Your words, not mine."

"Did you really believe that, child?" her voice smug at her current position. "It was to just set the mood-setting up for a later stage, if you will. Besides, the lyrics were too good to pass. ' _Be merciful like your Father is'._ " She drawled on, mockery thick in her voice.

He bitterly laughed a bit at that "If it is any consolation, I did write the lyrics."

He heard the footsteps approach him, stopping just short of the balcony door. "You indeed are queer. You are foolish also, so what are you exactly?" she asked to no one in particular. "You choose to save others when you could save yourself. That of course, is a messed up sense of priorities. No….your calmness at the inevitable intrigues me."

The pontiff didn`t turn back to respond, instead looked on-helplessly-at the burning city before him. "Ever since was a child, I used to have visions of the fall of my home." He spoke with a reminiscent tone "And like any young boy, I went and told my mother about it. She never laughed at it, nor dismissed my fears. All she told me was be strong and pray. Ever since then, I followed that advice. I prayed hard and fervently, hoping to avert the disaster I dreamt about. Alas! It would seem all has been for naught."

"That is the reason I asked you to bow before us." She whispered into his ears while gliding a hand unto his shoulders. "There is still time. Join our cause. You will no longer have any want or desire. All that you seek to seek and protect will be granted to you." Quietly, the hand cupped his cheeks "you will never, ever be left empty handed."

He gave a genuine smile as he turned to face her. "The disaster wasn`t averted despite all my efforts."

"Yes, dear one." She went on as she stood beside him. "If ever someone were to praise you, adore you, respect you, look up to you, wouldn`t it be natural for you to at least turn a kind glance towards him or do something for him or her. But that thing who resides above us? He expects us to do all what I said and more. If we don`t follow his way, he punishes us in the most horrific way possible. However, what do you or your people get in return? In times of need, he turns his back towards you all, feigning ignorance. Is this fair after all that was done for him? Now, do you understand what I seek?"

His smile didn`t falter as he averted his gaze back onto the view ahead.

 _Chiediamo allo Spirito i sette santi doni_

 _in aeternum misericordia eius_

 _fonte di ogni bene, dolcissimo sollievo_

 _in aeternum misericordia eius_

 _da Lui confortati, offriamo conforto_

 _in aeternum misericordia eius_

 _l'amore spera e tutto sopporta_

 _in aeternum misericordia eius_

The young guard soldiered on, through a floor filled with myriad bodies of servants, butlers, maids….and young altar boys….along with fellow comrades. He stood by one of them, using a nearby pillar for support as he tried his best to hold back a sob. Damn! Now was not the time to break down!

There was a saying among the elders. "If Rome or the holy city falls, the world falls into despair." They couldn`t be more true than now.

At that moment, he heard a noise of 10 footsteps coming down the corridor. He immediately composed himself and slid on the other end of the pillar for cover, his hand ready on his long-sword and the other on his pistol. The tension eased when he saw around 10 fellow soldiers came into view. He came out from his hiding spot and soon, they regrouped themselves.

"What happened to the other squad?" the young man tentatively asked.

"They engaged with the terrorist just in front of the Sistine chapel. The threat was neutralized. Unfortunately…"

He swallowed harshly, mentally completing the sentence at hand. At that moment, his receiver pinged quietly enough for them to hear only. He quickly took out his portable screen to see the current predicament.

"Swiss guards have the entire floor plan of the city. I had managed to integrate it with CCTV`s placed in the whole complex. It is capable to scan potential targets or follow one within the confines while giving the closest possible visual." He explained hastily. The others nodded in understanding before seeing the scene unfold before them.

"They have split themselves into 2 parties." The team leader deduced on visual they got on the receiver screen. "One is going to the tomb of St. Peter…."

They all paled when they realized they had overlooked on fatal detail until now.

They were yet to secure his holiness….

And the second party was headed that way.

The squadron leader barked commands as they ran down the corridors, splitting his troops in 2 groups. The young guard would lead the charge to the papal room while the latter would secure the tomb.

They had no more time to lose.

 _Chiediamo la pace al Dio di ogni pace_

 _in aeternum misericordia eius_

 _la terra aspetta il vangelo del Regno_

 _in aeternum misericordia eius_

 _gioia e perdono nel cuore dei piccoli_

 _in aeternum misericordia eius_

 _saranno nuovi i cieli e la terra_

 _in aeternum misericordia eius_

"God never stopped caring for us." The pontiff replied to the being besides him. "The vision was a warning, a preparation of things to come. It allowed me to try and change the course of things to come. It was for me to prevent it." He mused quietly. "If it couldn`t be prevented, at least I would be able to minimize the damage and causalities."

He then turned to her and said with the same peaceful expression. "If I were you, I would be afraid…very afraid. Your master has done things that were never ever meant to be, despite their existence in all the possibilities. History has been changed, ever so subtly in the last few years. Even the future has been rewritten-thanks to you. The cherry on the cake is, lives have been taken much before their appointed time. That in its self is a scary prospect. I wonder what happened to all those souls."

A grimace came upon the being force. With a snarl, it`s eyes glowed as the pontiff was thrown to the nearby wall with force and slowly crushed into it.

"Foolish child, do you think that anything, anything like mere consequences will deter me or him?" it hissed, forming a cut on his cheek from the mere movement of its hands.

"In…due…course of…time, Sophia." He managed to gasp. The being finally stepped out of the shadows into the evening light, rage filled deep within her lilac eyes

 _Misericordes sicut Pater!_

 _Misericordes sicut Pater!_

"You slave."

With that, the bombs within the tomb of the great saint armed themselves, sending the little squad trying to disarm them into frenzy. The culprits-who were visible on the tracking system-vanished around the pontiff`s room along with the squad assigned there.

"You had the potential to be different, 'his holiness' Peter Paul, named after the great missionary and the rock of your faith." She spat out. "It was my folly, actually to even consider giving you an opportunity. Despite a knowledge tracing back to the beginning of time, I am yet to properly catalogue your race`s behavior or motives. In the end, you were just like them."

She turned her back and made her way towards the door, the 20 projections (terrorists) of herself merging into her as she did so. Just as she was about to shut the door she uttered her conclusion on the whole matter.

"Die."

And with that, the bombs within the tombs and elsewhere within the city set off, sending a brilliantly frightening fire ball to devour the city. Soon, the fire ball turned into an even carpet which had finally consumed the remains of the devastation. Invisible to the weary and devastated onlookers, Sophia emerged from the flame and took to the skies, admiring her handiwork for a bit before proceeding to her destination.

'Rome has finally fallen' she thought smugly.

Now, time to test the proverb of old….

 _Misericordes sicut Pater,_

 _Misericordes sicut Pater._

 **At the same time, in Pendragon.**

Schnitzel walked down the long hallways after having taken care of the affairs of the day. He would have loved to stay a bit longer to assess the situation in Italy, but his lord had called for his presence.

And he could never disobey his lord.

He made his way to the gardens outside and noticed the caped figure waiting for him near the man-made lake. He quickly walked up to him and made his presence relevant.

"I trust that you have seen the developments." The voice seemed…more disembodied than he remembered.

"I have. The attack has led to panic and fear around the globe. In whatever capacity, a leader is a leader. The people-now without a spiritual guide-do not know how to react or what will be their fate. Most opting for violence for some reason." He stated, he maintained a respectable distance as they walked down the pathway.

"He was like a father to all." The freedom fighter went on.

Schnitzel chuckled at that "I still remember my interaction with him during my time in the EU. It was fair to say, he managed to keep both us and the EU out of his jurisdiction without the need to resort to martial force."

"That reminds me, are you going to attend the funeral?"

"Yes, my lord." His voice now reverent "I will be filling in for her majesty. The Japanese problem has spiraled out of proportions and needs her full attention."

The masked man finally fully faced his dub-ordinate "Now listen to my instructions…"

The devotee listened to his lord`s answer without raising a single question.

* * *

 **Finally! An update is done!**

 **It wouldn`t be wrong to say this is a chapter I had the most difficulty in writing and imagining.**

 **At the outset, I apologize if anyone is hurt or angered by the contents of this chapter. It took me 2 days to decide whether to post it or not.**

 **Finally, the main action of the story has started. The key plotline has been reached. So I can safely say, 25% of the story is done.**

 **As always, I thank for your patience and kind support. It would be meaningless without all you readers.**

 **Construstive critiscm is always welcome as well as reviews on how the story is going.**

 **I would urge you to check out my other story,** _ **Their majesties will.**_ **As that also is a flagship piece from a request.**

 **The hymn used is the one from the year of mercy. The English translation (If any care to know) is given below.**

* * *

 _Misericordes sicut Pater!_

1\. We give thanks to the Father, for he is good  
 _in aeternum mercy eius_  
He created the world with wisdom  
 _in aeternum mercy eius_  
He leads his people in history  
 _in aeternum mercy eius_  
He forgives and welcomes His children  
 _in aeternum mercy eius_

2\. Let us give thanks to the Son, Light of the nations  
 _in aeternum mercy eius_  
He loved us with a heart of flesh  
 _in aeternum mercy eius_  
we receive from Him, to Him we give ourselves  
 _in aeternum mercy eius_  
the heart to open to those who hunger and thirst  
 _in aeternum mercy eius_

 _Misericordes sicut Pater!_ _  
_ _Misericordes sicut Pater!_

3\. We ask the Spirit the seven holy gifts  
 _in aeternum mercy eius_  
source of all good, sweet relief  
 _in aeternum mercy eius_  
comforted by Him, offer comfort  
 _in aeternum mercy eius_  
I love hopes and endures all things  
 _in aeternum mercy eius_

4\. We call for peace to the God of all peace  
 _in aeternum mercy eius_  
the earth awaits the gospel of the Kingdom  
 _in aeternum mercy eius_  
grace and joy to those who love and forgive  
 _in aeternum mercy eius_  
will be the new heavens and the earth  
 _in aeternum mercy eius_

 _Misericordes sicut Pater!_

 _Misericordes sicut Pater: - Be merciful like the Father is_

 _in aeternum mercy eius:- His mercy is endless and forever._

* * *

 _ **Please read and review**_

 _ **Finally, Enjoy !**_


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